THE ASPLUNDH TREE

Transcription

THE ASPLUNDH TREE

Spring/Summer 2009
THE ASPLUNDH TREE
InMemoriAm
Tom Lee, retired vice president and Asplundh veteran of
46 years, passed away on May 13 at the age of 76.
Born and raised in Virginia,Tom joined an Asplundh tree crew
there in 1949. His budding career was interrupted by a
three-year tour with the U.S. Army during the Korean
War. After his tour of duty, he returned to work in Virginia, but
transferred to Vermont six years later.Tom advanced to general
foreperson in 1961, working throughout Massachusetts,
Connecticut and Vermont. Promoted to supervisor in 1981, he
was appointed manager of Asplundh operations in Maine and
Vermont the following year. Tom was elected vice president in 1985 and served the company
until his retirement in 1995.
Tom is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pat; a son, Mike Lee of Y ork, Maine; two sisters; one
brother; ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was preceeded in death by two
sons, Bruce Smith, an Asplundh general foreperson in Massachusetts who passed away in
June 2008, and Mitchell who died in 1978. We send our deepest sympathies to his family
and friends.
Jim Sigman, manager of Asplundh operations in parts of
Oklahoma, was fatally injured in an accident on May 21. He was
49 years old.
Jim first came to work on an Asplundh tree crew in Kansas in
1980. T
hree years later, he left to work for Blume Tree Services
where he worked his way up to area manager. W
hen Asplundh
acquired Blume in 1993, Jim came aboard as a supervisor and
the following year, he transferred to Oklahoma. In December 2007,
Jim was promoted to manager and was responsible for Asplundh
operations on the property of Oklahoma Gas & Electric, as well
as various municipal and cooperative accounts. He was a 1994 graduate of ASTP and had been an
ISA Certified Arborist since 1996.
Jim is survived by his wife of 29 years, Kristine; a son, Josh; two daughters, Jamie and Tember; two
grandchildren; three brothers; a twin sister and his parents. His loss is felt by many co-workers,
friends and family members.
Tom Anderson, an Asplundh supervisor in New Jersey
and 54-year company veteran, passed away on January 11 at
the age of 71.
A native of New Jersey, T
om began his long and productive career
in 1955 as a climber and a few years later, began working
with Asplundh’s earliest aerial lifts. In 1971, he advanced to
foreperson and was promoted to general foreperson in 1984
under now retired Vice President Harold Selvey. Tom first
became a supervisor in 1990, overseeing crews working on the
properties of various investor-owned, cooperative and telephone
companies in central and northern New Jersey. His working relationship with Public Service
Electric & Gas (PSE&G) spanned his entire career and from 2001 to 2003, he served
Continued on page 13
THE
ASPLUNDH
TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Contents
Safety Success Is No Accident ................ 2
Asplundh Dealerships:
Offering More Value Than Ever ............... 5
Asplundh Helps Maintain
Co-op Member Relations ......................... 6
Storm Emergencies: From Ice To Fire ... 8
Management Update .................................... 10
In Memoriam ................................................. 13
Orchids ............................................................ 14
Service Anniversaries ................................... 18
Crews & News .............................................. 20
Merit Awards ................................................. 25
Here’s To Your Health ................................. 26
New Product Review .................................. 27
Arbor Day Action ......................................... 29
On The Cover
With Grandfather Mountain rising behind
him, Foreperson Joe Sweeney of the Barry
Suddreth Region trims along a Blue Ridge
Electric Membership line near Lenoir, North
Carolina. (photo by Mann McMillan)
Managing editor
Corporate Communications
Patti Chipman
Writer/Editor
Kristin Wild
Assistant Editor/
Graphics Specialist
Ronnie Gauker
Editorial Assistant
Jenn Devine
The Asplundh TREE is a family magazine,
published twice a year for all employees and
friends of the Asplundh companies.
Asplundh welcomes requests to reprint or
otherwise duplicate this magazine, in whole
or in part. Please contact the Managing Editor
of Corporate Communications at the address
below for permission, or call 1-800-248-TREE
(in the U.S. or Canada).
©
2009 Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
708 Blair Mill Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090
www.asplundh.com
Printed on recycled paper
AVMS
What’s it all About?
A
by Jude Solis, Supervisor in the Larry Gauger Region, Southeastern Pennsylvania
splundh is always looking
for ways to improve its
fleet and operations. One
of the latest efforts is the installation
a GPS-based system called AVMS
(Automated Vehicle Management System)
to track the location of company-owned
vehicles. This system, developed by Telogis,
Inc. of Aliso Viejo, California, is able to
pinpoint a vehicle location using signals
from satellites. You may be familiar
with the technology if you have a GPS
navigational system in your personal vehicle.
One of the reasons Asplundh is moving
forward with this program is employee
safety. Knowing where our vehicles are
will help us respond more quickly and
effectively in the event of an emergency.
We can also plan routes that are safer
and more efficient, reducing the hazards
associated with driving to and from
job sites. Driving violations can also be
reduced by discouraging unsafe practices
such as speeding.
After his crews head out to their
job sites on the property of PECO
Energy, Supervisor Jude Solis (at
left) can access AVMS wirelessly
from his laptop to track their
progress.Whether it’s monitoring
one truck or dozens, Jude
considers AVMS to be a great tool
to help manage fuel costs and to
assist crews in finding ways to be
safer and more efficient.
AVMS generates a variety
of “Dots on a Map”
reports that can show the
movement of a vehicle over
a period of time. The map
at right shows a day’s worth
of operations for one truck.
To conserve fuel and reduce
pollution, engine idling time
is tracked as well.
The AVMS system can also help
us investigate claims from the public
regarding alleged property damage or
a driving complaint generated from a
Motorist Observation Report (MOR).
These are just a few issues that AVMS
would aid not only the Company, but also
an employee’s credibility.
Everyone is affected by our tough
economy. Fuel costs are on still high and
it only makes business sense to manage
our overall fuel consumption. AVMS also
collects engine data which will help us
change our behavior patterns and operate
our equipment more efficiently. This
system can provide valuable information
such as miles driven, length of time the
engine has been idling, proper use of the
auxiliary motor (pony motor) and whether
we are taking the safest and most direct
route to and from our job sites.
Utility companies are looking for a
contractor that is safe and efficient, as well
as one that is reducing its environmental
Finding the best way to get tools,
parts or supplies to a spray crew
on a remote right-of-way is no
problem with AVMS. Using GPS
technology, AVMS helps Asplundh
know exactly where a vehicle is
located. This information can also
be a great help in a medical or
storm emergency to expedite a
response to the crisis.
impact. Asplundh, as an industry leader, is
willing to invest in this type of technology
to be competitive.
We can manage our field operations
more efficiently by knowing when
we depart to and arrive from our job
sites and how long we have our lifts in
operation. During storm restoration, we
can be certain that we are utilizing the
closest unit to respond or we can help
to direct a crew that is lost. These are
just some of the circumstances where
the data from AVMS can help us improve
safety and customer service. I believe
utilities across the country will take
this into consideration when it’s time
to choose a vegetation management
contractor and that’s good for all of us!
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
1
Safety Success
Is No Accident
by Gil Niedenthal
Director and Corporate Safety Officer
SO, WHAT IS World Class Safety? (Part 2)
I
n the first part of this article, I wrote about the activities
that help to define what “World Class Safety” is. Some of
the general concepts were:
u Doing everything in your power to prevent injuries;
u Having management leadership set the example;
u Living safety as a value and not a priority.
In this second part, I would like to share with you my thoughts
about what it “looks like” and how you know when you have
achieved it.
To me, our vision — Safety First ... No One Gets Hurt!® —
defines “World Class Safety.” It’s the combination of placing
our value for safety FIRST and then realizing the benefits of the
action … NO INJURIES!
I’ve never told my boss that I manage a “World Class” safety
program. But I can tell him our injury rate is a fraction of
the industry’s injury rate and our safety system — the Safety
Management Process — is industry-leading!
However, I believe that a successful safety program is not
driven solely by attempts to decrease our injury rate. Instead,
we need to encourage “safety talk” amongst our people,
establish an atmosphere where employees can report work
hazards and near-misses without fear of reprimand, encourage
self-awareness rather than production at the cost of safety and
integrate the concept of “actively caring” for safety at ALL levels
of the organization.
Yes, it’s hard to define. Even though we’re not all cooks, we
know bad spaghetti sauce or good spaghetti sauce when we
taste it. But to describe good spaghetti sauce is a little harder
to do. It’s the same way with “World Class Safety.” Why? Well, it
depends on who is doing the judging or comparing.
If you look at OSHA or ANSI standards and compare your
program to those standards, you could probably tell where the
gaps are in your system. But after you close the gaps, you still
don’t necessarily have “World Class Safety.” Why? It’s because
none of those standards address the most elusive factor of
“World Class Safety” — culture! It is culture that determines if
a group can internalize safety and health by doing the right thing
when no one is looking. A solid, dynamic and responsive safety
and health culture transcends any written program, training gap,
unexpected event, etc.
At the end of the day, “World Class Safety” is about conducting
business in a way that all employees, from the president to the
newest groundperson, know and believe safety is a value. There
is no need to coax, threaten or constantly remind employees
of their role in safety. They know it and believe in it. Crew
members feel a right and a duty to correct hazards on a job site.
No one takes an “it’s not my responsibility” attitude. Job briefings
and work procedures continue even
when an unforeseen or changed
condition occurs. General forepersons
and supervisors never place schedules
or appearances above the safety of
their employees.
As a Company, we will achieve
“World Class Safety” when we have
created a culture where everyone
looks out for each other. I call it
“actively caring for safety.” Call it
whatever you want, but let’s make
safety part of our everyday life and
“talk,” both on and off the job.
A Volts Wagon Milestone
Sometime back in March, Asplundh’s electrical hazards training trailer, known as the Volts Wagon,
received its 10,000 th trainee! This milestone was reached in the Steve Miller Region where Regional
Safety Superintendents Brian Fooks and Jose Vega (now general foreperson) performed demonstrations
for their employees and utility customers in Delaware, Maryland, V
irginia and New Jersey. Over a
two-month period, 33 training and demonstration sessions were conducted for over 410 employees
and over 50 utility representatives. Participants learned (or re-learned) how to identify a wide variety
of electrical equipment, what is direct and indirect contact and what procedures help them to work
safely near live conductors. The live line demonstration is a perfect example of “Seeing is Believing.”
Shown at left are some of the attendees from the Miller Region. T
hey work under General Foreperson
Armando Gomez on the property of Baltimore Gas & Electric. W
here will the Volts Wagon be for its
20,000 th trainee?
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The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
safety recognition
Asplundh Tree Expert Co. and Entergy Arkansas Transmission came together in
May to pay tribute to the vegetation management group pictured here for their
dedication to safety and outstanding work performance over the past year. Safety
certificates were presented to each of these employees from the Kevin Blount
Region who had worked incident-free for a year, along with special plaques for
six men who had worked 5,15 or 20 years without a single incident. Senior Vice
President Matt Asplundh (blue shirt, center) made a point to be on hand for this
occasion, along with Manager Kevin Blount (front row, far left) who presented
20-year plaques to Doug Brooks and Troy Norwood, a 15-year plaque to
Gary Cooper and 5-year plaques to Mike Herring, David Walston and
Josh Walston. Keep up the good, SAFE work.
Working incident-free paid off in a $500 Cabela’s gift certificate to Foreperson
Rick Brecht (center) of the Jeff Lynch Region in Michigan, who recently won the
top prize in the 2008 Corporate Safety Excellence Drawing for his region.
Manager Jeff Lynch (right) was pleased to come out to Rick’s job site to make
the presentation. He was happily accompanied by Harley Jaques (left) of
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, the utility for which Rick and his crew work.
In April, Foreperson George Soto (center) received a handshake of congratulations
from Manager Patrick Lamberton (left) along with a $500 gift certificate for
Cabela’s, the top level reward for winning the 2008 Corporate Safety Excellence
Drawing in his region. To qualify for the drawing, employees must work incident-free
for the entire year. George and Crew Member Melvin Ofield (right) work on the
property of Consolidated Edison on Staten Island in New York.
In the cold Nebraska spring sunshine, Manager Kevin Dove (right) gave Trimmer/
Climber David Fanning (center) a handshake of appreciation for working safely
all year and presented him with a $500 Cabela’s gift certificate, his winnings in
the Corporate Safety Excellence Drawing for the Dove Region. David works under
General Foreperson Lon Nutter (left) on the property of Lincoln Electric System.
Vice President Dave Sachs (right) proudly presented Journeyman Trimmer Caleb
Vernon (left) with $500 of Cabela’s Bucks for being his region’s top winner in the
Corporate Safety Excellence Drawing. Caleb’s incident-free work record for 2008
made him eligible for the drawing. He works under Supervisor Wes Washington on
the property of AEP Ohio.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
3
tree Felling Round-up
Although the ‘new’ tree felling training curriculum is now part of the Line Clearance Qualification Standard, our
Corporate Safety Trainers Tracy Hawks and Mark Foster are still on the road now and then to share their expertise.
Region 29 — Virginia
Region 37 — Texas
Region 35 — New Jersey
Utility Tree Service Region 73 — California
Region 55 #1 — Florida
Region 55 #2 — Florida
Congratulations to all
the employees shown
below who have dedicated
themselves to learning
new ways to work
more safely.
Region 50 — Florida
Region 52 — Alabama (Yes, that’s tree felling
trainee Vice President Steve Bostock at far left!)
Sharing Safety Expertise — For the past 13 years, Salt River Project in
Arizona has organized a one-day Overhead and Underground Electrical Safety
Workshop for landscapers, tree workers and excavators. Taking advantage of
Asplundh’s expertise, the utility calls upon employees from the Will Willis Region
to provide the chainsaw safety and tree rescue training. At left are General
Foreperson Dave Brower and Planner Greg Kahler demonstrating chainsaw
safety tips for some of the 247 attendees of this excellent safety outreach event.
“These folks are on their day off. T
hey don’t get paid to come; they come for the
education,” said Karen Powell, Manager, Maintenance Services, Line Clearing for
Salt River Project .“We give them important information they may not be able
to get anywhere else.” In fact, the utility provides professional interpreters and
headsets to give simultaneous translations of the presentations to those who
speak Spanish.This program reminds us that safety knowledge is not something
that you just keep to yourself. It deserves to be shared.
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The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Offering More Value than Ever
F
or more than 40 years, Asplundh
has owned a GMC truck
dealership and since 2006, the
company has owned two. Despite the
upheaval in the American auto industry,
both Asplundh dealerships are here to stay
and they are working harder than ever to
provide cost savings and convenience to
the company’s operations and employees.
In addition to receiving major discounts
on genuine parts, the dealerships have
traditionally given the employees of
Asplundh and its subsidiaries special pricing
on personal car and truck purchases. As
of June, our operations in the field stand
to reap even more cost and convenience
benefits, thanks to new preventive
maintenance programs coordinated
through the Asplundh dealerships.
The first program offers preventive
maintenance (PM) kits for lifts and chippers,
making it easier and more cost effective
to comply with scheduled maintenance
requirements. When it’s time to change the
oil and replace filters for several vehicles,
one simply calls Asplundh Buick/PontiacGMC in Manahawkin, New Jersey
(1-800-426-0708) or Asplundh GMCIsuzu Trucks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(1-800-316-2107). The caller provides the
equipment numbers and a crew number,
and the dealership knows exactly what
type of PM kits are needed.
Each PM kit includes approved air, oil
and fuel filters for both the truck and the
auxiliary (pony) motor, as well as approved
synthetic oil. Kits for chippers are also
available. The kits are packed, labeled,
documented in a database and shipped.
No more searching for the approved
filters or finding a good price for synthetic
oil. One call takes care of it all, saving field
personnel time (and time means money!).
The convenience also makes it more likely
that preventive maintenance will be done
according to the schedule.
Dan Williams, the dealerships’ general
manager, worked closely with Jim Sandell
Preventative Maintenance in a Kit!
As the old saying goes,“an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure”
and now the GMC Parts Department
in the Asplundh dealerships makes
it really easy to comply with
Asplundh Fleet Services’ scheduled
maintenance program. At left is a
preventive maintenance (PM) kit for
an LRV55 lift. It includes approved air,
oil and fuel filters, for both the truck
and its auxiliary (pony) motor, as well
as approved synthetic oil.
PM kits are also available for
chippers. A kit for a Vermeer chipper
is shown at right.The scheduled
maintenance interval for all makes
and models of chippers is every
three months, so ordering PM kits
can save our field personnel a lot
time shopping for parts and oil —
and that saves money! All it takes is
a toll-free call to the dealership.
Dan Williams (right) is the new general manager of the Asplundh
Buick/Pontiac-GMC dealership in Manahawkin, New Jersey and the
Asplundh GMC-Isuzu dealership in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With
almost 20 years of management experience in service and parts
departments, and 11 years in repairs, Dan was eager to put his
skills to work to benefit Asplundh’s field operations. He credits Jim
Sandell in Fleet Services in Willow Grove and Paul Sykes and his staff
in the Parts Distribution Center in Lynchburg, V
irginia for successfully
launching the new PM kit program.
Mobile Maintenance Services!
The Asplundh dealerships offer
another way to encourage
preventive maintenance — a mobile
maintenance program for Asplundh
operations within 300 miles of
their Manahawkin or Philadelphia
dealerships. At left are lifts and
chippers in the Tim Manners Region
in Pennsylvania in the process of
getting oil changes.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
5
Asplundh Helps Maintain Co-op
Member Relations
by Kristin Wild, Writer/Editor
E
lectric cooperatives are private,
independent electric utilities,
owned by the members they
serve. It’s important to pay attention to
the word “members” because it implies
a different kind of business relationship
compared to “customers and investors.”
Since many of the Asplundh crews
who work for rural electric cooperatives
throughout the U.S. are actual co-op
members themselves, they often go the
extra mile to maintain member relations
and satisfaction. In addition, Asplundh’s
capabilities in specialized equipment and
vegetation management expertise can
help to keep electricity safe, reliable and
affordable for co-op members.
To give a little historical background,
electric cooperatives began to spread
across rural America after President
Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural
Electrification Administration (REA)
in 1935. Today more than 900 electric
cooperatives provide safe, affordable
and reliable electric power to 42 million
Americans while maintaining a unique
consumer-focused approach to business.
A Closer Look at Co-ops
A couple of months ago, I had
an opportunity to get a first-hand
understanding of how a couple of rural
electric cooperatives work with Asplundh
to effectively manage vegetation and
maintain member satisfaction. The Barry
Suddreth Region in parts of North and
South Carolina proudly serves 10 co-ops
and I was able to meet with folks from
two of them in North Carolina — Blue
Ridge Electric Membership Corp. in
Lenoir and EnergyUnited in Statesville.
While driving to a hilltop right-of-way
to visit an Asplundh crew, Blue Ridge
EMC’s Vegetation Manager Roger Reid
gave me a brief history of the utility’s
vegetation management program. Thanks
to a more consistent approach since
1997, the utility is currently working
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The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corp., Asplundh and ArborMetrics
Solutions work together to keep the power on and co-op members
happy. Blue Ridge EMC’s Vegetation Manager Roger Reid (second from
R) met up with this group from the Barry Suddreth Region working
to maintain adequate clearance on a 72kV line near Lenoir, North
Carolina. Pictured (from L to R) are: General Foreperson Martin
Roberts, ArborMetrics Pre-Planner Zack Benfield, Foreperson Joe
Sweeney, Lead Foreperson Jim Sebastian, Groundperson James
Childress, Roger and General Foreperson Mann McMillan.
Whether it’s a job that calls
for a bucket or a climbing
saddle, Lead Foreperson Jim
Sebastian is always ready.
Above, he takes down a tree
that was encroaching on a
rural Blue Ridge EMC line.
ArborMetrics Pre-Planner Zack
Benfield (left) meets with Blue
Ridge EMC member Kathi Hoyle
(right) to discuss the scheduled line
clearance work to be performed
by Asplundh crews. Zack uses his
Toughbook computer to record any
special concerns or requests and
adds that information to the utility’s
database. Her home and grocery store
in Collettsville rely on safe, reliable
electricity from Blue Ridge EMC.
on a six-year cycle for its more than
7,600-line-mile system which includes
approximately 300 miles of transmission.
Asplundh crews work in the Caldwell
District where Blue Ridge EMC maintains
its headquarters. Equipped with a
standard lift, chipper and mower, the
crews also use a Jarraff side trimmer and
a 4x4 platform-mounted lift truck, locally
known as a Paddlefoot.
General Foreperson Mann McMillan
says, “Of course, good equipment is
important, but our employees are more
productive because they know the people
and they know the system. Blue Ridge is
like a family.” Because of that family-feel,
Asplundh employees make an extra effort
to balance the members’ desire for lush,
free-growing trees and the need for safe,
reliable power.
With over 70,000 members, Blue
Ridge EMC prides itself in achieving high
satisfaction ratings and great reliability.
This requires a lot of pre-planning and
notification work. To help develop and
maintain a database of member requests,
they recently hired a pre-planner, Zack
Benfield, with ArborMetrics Solutions,
Inc., a subsidiary of Asplundh. He is on the
road constantly meeting with members
and Roger Reid, to make sure the crews
stay on cycle and ‘don’t let Mrs. Jones’ dog
out of the yard’ or ‘trample the flowers.’
“Pre-planning has allowed us to get
more consistent results in our vegetation
management program,” explained Robert
Kent, Director of Operations for Blue
Ridge EMC. “Zack helps Roger prioritize
danger trees and mid-cycle tree work.”
Staying Ahead of the Game
I also visited with EnergyUnited’s
Director of Maintenance Jimmy Brown
who oversees the right-of-way program
served by Asplundh crews in the Suddreth
Region. With over 12,000 line miles
(including 188 miles of transmission) to
maintain and over 100,000 members to
please, staying on schedule or ahead of
the game can be a tough job.
Efficiency is critical and since Vice
President Barry Suddreth is a member
of EnergyUnited, he has an appreciation
of the need to control costs. To address
this need, a ‘work group’ concept is in
place. Each work group includes two
Paddlefoot lifts and two chip trucks. Bush
hog mowers and Jarraff side trimming
machines are also occasionally employed
for off-road rights-of-way. The work
group is highly mobile and can access
off-road lines and backyards with less
surface impact. Well-equipped and
working as a team, the crews can handle
everything from a very technical climbing
job, to traditional bucket work, to rightof-way clearing and widening.
Considering the fact that EnergyUnited
serves a 19-county area that includes
a mix of rural, suburban and urban
environments, the versatility and mobility
of Asplundh’s work groups make it
possible to keep up with the utility’s
vegetation management needs. Add in
good supervision who have the people
skills needed to help with member
notification and special requests and you
have a win-win situation for the co-op
and its members.
“Asplundh helps us enhance service,
reliability and safety at a competitive
price,” says Jimmy. “We’re fortunate to have
some very reliable crews and supervision
who are ready to respond 24/7/365.”
EnergyUnited, based in Statesville, North Carolina, has been using
integrated vegetation management techniques since 1989. Asplundh
mowing crews from the Barry Suddreth Region play a part in creating
rights-of-way that maintain adequate clearance and accessibility while
promoting great habitat for flora and fauna of all sorts. EnergyUnited’s
Director of Maintenance Jimmy Brown is proud of the results of their
efforts (at right) and his utility’s participation in various organizations such
as the National W
ild Turkey Federation’s Energy for Wildlife program.
Two Paddlefoot (4x4 platform-mounted) lift crews are an integral part of the ‘work
group’ concept employed on the property of EnergyUnited. T
his work group under
General Foreperson Robby Wood was working in Huntersville, North Carolina.
Their work site set-up and traffic control methods demonstrate their concern for
public safety, as well as their own.
Brush mowing (as seen here in this photo of a
special project EnergyUnited performed for the
North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission)
can be added to the ‘work group’ package that Vice President Barry Suddreth offers to utilities.
Depending on the goals of the integrated vegetation
management plan, mowing may be followed up with
a herbicide treatment to prevent the growth of woody
plants and to allow grasses and forbes to flourish.This
prevents trees from growing up into the conductors
and results in excellent habitat for animals and plants.
A typical Suddreth Region work group includes two chip trucks to
handle the limbs and brush generated by the two Paddlefoot lift trucks.
A bush hog mower rounds out the group. This is a highly productive and
effective concept for rural — and many suburban — areas.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
7
Storm Emergencies:
From Ice to Fire
S
ummer and the hurricane season
are here, but it wasn’t all that
long ago that Asplundh crews
were working long hours in icy conditions
to help dozens of utilities restore power.
Since December 2008, more than 1,100
Asplundh employees were mobilized to
two major ice storms and various snow,
wind and wildfire events. They were
joined by thousands of local Asplundh
employees to get the job done.
The devastation to trees and
power lines was widespread
throughout the Northeast after
the December 11 ice storm.
Foreperson Henry LeDuc of the
Ralph Guadagno Region took this
photo of an ice-toppled red oak
pulling down National Grid power
lines in Methuen, Massachusetts.
Icy Times
On December 11, 2008, ice built up on
trees and power lines from Pennsylvania
all the way up into Maine. Affecting the
densely populated Northeast, millions of
utility customers were without power.
Within hours, Asplundh had mobilized
220 crews to assist eight utilities in need
of additional tree crews.
The majority of mobilized crews
were sent to the property of National
Grid in Massachusetts and New York
where the damage was the worst seen
in ten years. Public Service Co. of New
Hampshire also utilized a large number
of extra Asplundh crews. The remainder
were distributed amongst New York
State Electric & Gas, Unitil, Western
Massachusetts Electric Co., Central Maine
Power Co., City of Leominster and Central
Vermont Public Service. Most storm crews
worked for over 10 days, but everyone was
home in time for the holidays.
The next big ice event started on
January 27 and spread a thick layer
of ice on trees and power lines from
Arkansas up into Ohio. Almost two
million customers were affected by
power outages, but it would have been
worse if the area had been more densely
populated. In addition to hundreds of
Asplundh crews on storm duty for their
local utilities, over 170 Asplundh crews
were mobilized to assist 10 utilities and
two municipalities.
The largest group of employees went
to a new customer, Vectren, in southern
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The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Line crews and tree crews
worked side-by-side on
the Central Vermont Public
Service system after the
December ice storm.
Foreperson Sione
Ngauamo of the Mick
Kavran Region in Washington
took the top out of a hazard
tree threatening a Clark
Public Utilities lineafter a
record snowfall in December.
General Foreperson James Powell of the
Jack Shupe Region sent in this photo of
his crews removing trees from an E.ON
U.S./Kentucky Utilities transmission line
near Madisonville. T
he crews had to
wade across a half frozen swamp to
get to the downed trees. At least there
weren’t any snakes around at that time
of year!
After the late January ice storm, Foreperson
Lanny Chambers’ crew from the Jack
Shupe Region removed ice-damaged limbs for
Owensboro Municipal Utilities in Kentucky.
Indiana and the next largest group
was assigned to E.ON U.S./Kentucky
Utilities. The destruction was extensive
throughout most of Kentucky. The
remaining crews were sent to North
Arkansas Electric Cooperative, AEP
Ohio, Owensboro Municipal Utilities,
Madisonville Municipal Utilities, Paducah
Power, City of Thayer, City of Bardstown
and Mayfield Electric & Water.
In some places, removing storm debris
and restoring power to every customer
was a relatively slow process, due to the
distances between customers in rural
areas. However, within two weeks, the
vast majority of mobilized crews were
back home.
There were other serious weather
events and natural disasters that required
our local Asplundh crews to be on storm
emergency work, but didn’t require the
Storm Center to send crews.
Notable ones include a heavy, wet
snowfall in parts of Washington state in
mid-December which kept Mick Kavran
Region crews busy removing broken and
hazardous trees from roads and power
lines. Then high winds on February 11-12
in Ohio and Pennsylvania, with winds
clocked over 60 miles per hour, required
the emergency efforts of Dave Sachs
and Dave Puckett Region crews. In early
March, an ice storm knocked out power
for thousands of Nova Scotia Power
customers and Asplundh Canada crews
from the Steve Christiansen Region
responded in full force.
Although it might be called more
of a natural disaster, a huge wildfire in
the vicinity of Santa Barbara, California
was definitely aggravated by winds and
dry conditions. Asplundh crews from
the Dave Stall Region were called in to
remove burned and smoldering trees and
brush so that Southern California Edison
crews could rebuild fire-damaged lines.
Thank you notes and e-mails flowed
in after these storm emergencies that
ranged from ice to fire. You can read
many of them in the Orchids section on
pages 14-17.
Weather or not, Asplundh is always
prepared to help customers restore power!
AEP Southwestern Electric
Power Company sent in this
dramatic shot of an Asplundh
crew from the Tom Leverentz
Region working to remove
ice-laden trees from their
power lines near Fayetteville
in northwest Arkansas. The
January 27 ice storm left over
85 percent of their customers
without power in some areas.
The students of Harper and Vogel Elementary
Schools in Evansville, Indiana created thank-you
notes to give to all of the out-of-town storm workers
after the late January ice storm. Pam Kaelin of
Vectren arranged to have them delivered to the
Asplundh crews on storm restoration duty. General
Foreperson Sergio Perlera of the Kelly Runkle
Region sent in this photo of his crews proudly
displaying their thank-you notes.They even wrote a
few back to the children!
After the late January ice storm and
the previous September’s Hurricane Ike
damage, Asplundh crews in Ohio have
been very busy with storm work. AEP Ohio
Forester Pat Patton took this photo of wind
storm damage on their right-of-way on
February 11.
In response to the devastating Santa Barbara wildfire
in early May, Asplundh Patrolman Larry Schaefer
(left) of the Dave Stall Region discussed crew
assignments with Southern California Edison Line
Clearing Supervisor Bill Hallett (right).
The “Jesusita Hell Fire” destroyed
78 homes and injured 22 people.
Asplundh crews worked on hazard
trees still burning, overhang removals,
road clearing and brush clean-up while
Southern California Edison rebuilt lines
and restored power to the homes that
were not damaged.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
9
ManagementUpdate
nEWmANAGERSinTheFieldandHomeOffice
Patrick Lamberton, former senior
supervisor in New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland and Washington, D.C., was
promoted to manager of Asplundh
operations in parts of New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Maryland in March.The
new Lamberton Region is sponsored by
Senior Vice President Gregg Asplundh.
Born in Pennsylvania, Patrick joined an
Asplundh spray crew in West Virginia in 1982. He gained experience
on tree crews and within a year, he had transferred to Pennsylvania,
then Missouri and had advanced to foreperson. In 1990, Patrick took
an assignment in Delaware and was promoted to general foreperson.
Eight years later, he advanced to supervisor. Patrick’s responsibilities as
a manager include overseeing Asplundh operations on the property of
Consolidated Edison, Jersey Central Power & Light, Orange & Rockland
Utilities, Baltimore Gas & Electric, Entergy Nuclear and various
municipal accounts. A 1993 graduate of ASTP, he is a member of the
UAA, New Jersey ISA and is a Maryland Tree Expert.
Joe Lee joined Asplundh’s Home Office
staff in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania in May
as the new manager of Field Personnel.
He reports to Corporate Administration
Manager George Licci and his sponsor is
Secretary-Treasurer Joe Dwyer.
Joe brings to Asplundh a wealth
of experience in human resources
management through his 20 years with
United Parcel Service (UPS) in Pennsylvania. From training and workforce
development to compliance with employment regulations and public
affairs, he has managed a wide variety of human resources issues. Joe
earned a master’s degree in adult education and human resources
development from Pennsylvania State University and holds a bachelor’s
degree from Allegheny College. His current responsibilities include
coordinating the Asplundh and UtiliCon Supervisory Training Programs,
as well as other management development programs, overseeing our
substance abuse policy enforcement, supporting job recruitment and
serving as the Corporate Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Officer for Asplundh and its vegetation management subsidiaries.
10
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Angelo Mattioli was named
manager of Financial Reporting and Field
Accounting in the Asplundh Home Office
in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania in January.
The Corporate Accounting Department is
sponsored by Secretary-Treasurer Joe Dwyer
and Angelo reports to Controller Brian Bauer.
Angelo already had more than five years
of experience in financial reporting, cost
accounting and auditing when he started with the company in 1999.
He was hired to be the controller for our former subsidiary, Central
Locating Services, Ltd., and he worked in that position until December
2002 when he became Asplundh’s internal audit manager. In October
2005, Angelo was named manager of Overheads and Fixed Assets, a
position he held until January of this year. His current responsibilities
include preparation and analysis of financial statements and overseeing
work-in-process. A 1993 graduate of St. Joseph’s University in
Philadelphia, Angelo earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and
became a Certified Public Accountant in 1997.
Steve DiBello was promoted in July
to manager of Overheads and Fixed Assets
in the Asplundh Home Office in Willow
Grove, Pennsylvania. This responsibility is
in addition to his duties as the accounting
manager for our utility services subsidiary,
UtiliCon Solutions, Ltd. Steve reports to
Controller Brian Bauer of the Corporate
Accounting Department, which is sponsored
by Secretary-Treasurer Joe Dwyer.
A native Philadelphian and 20-year Asplundh veteran, Steve joined the
company in 1989 as a staff accountant in Fixed Assets. He had just
completed his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of
Notre Dame in Indiana. Steve progressed through senior accountant
to supervisor of Overheads and Fixed Assets in 1999 and became
manager of the department in 2004. A year later, he was named
accounting manager for the newly formed UtiliCon Solutions, Ltd. and
he began serving on its storm cooordination team. Steve is now
responsible for all overhead functions, bidding, customer audits and fixed
assets of the organization (both UtiliCon and Utility Vegetation Services).
He will continue to be involved in managing UtiliCon accounting, such as
work-in-process and cost reporting.
nEWSupervisors
John Belton, former corporate
safety supervisor, was promoted to field
supervisor in October 2008 for the Dave
Puckett Region in parts of W
est Virginia
and Maryland. Senior Vice President Chris
Asplundh, Jr. sponsors the Puckett Region.
Born in West Virginia, John first came to
work on an Asplundh tree crew in 1983.
Five years later, he left to take a position as
a general foreperson and safety inspector/
trainer with Tree Preservation, which was subsequently acquired by
Asplundh in 1993. Always based in his home state of W
est Virginia, John
joined the Corporate Safety Department in 2006 as a safety supervisor.
His field supervisor responsibilities include overseeing Asplundh crews
working on the property of Allegheny Power in parts of W
est Virginia
and Maryland. A 1994 graduate of ASTP, John was also selected to
attend one of the first General Foreperson Professional Development
Programs in 2005.
Robert Coffman, former general
foreperson in central Oklahoma, advanced
to field supervisor in May after the
untimely death of Manager Jim Sigman.
Robert reports to Sponsor/Senior Vice
President Gregg Asplundh.
Robert first joined an Asplundh tree crew
in his home state of Oklahoma in 1988.
Within nine years, he had progressed to
general foreperson overseeing tree crews
working on the properties of various utilities in central and northern
Oklahoma. Robert’s supervisory responsibilities include overseeing
Asplundh operations on the properties of Oklahoma Gas & Electric
and various municipal and cooperative accounts throughout the state.
A 2002 graduate of ASTP and the General Foreperson Professional
Development Program, he is an ISA Certified Arborist and has also
studied criminal justice at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.
Mike Fullex, former regional safety
superintendent for the Mike Zehler Region in
New York, was promoted to field supervisor
in December 2008. The Zehler Region is
sponsored by Vice President Larry Moore.
Mike first came to work for an Asplundh
tree crew in1994 in his native state of New
York. He chose to leave the company five
years later to work as a union business
representative, but then returned to
Asplundh in 2005 to serve as a regional safety superintendent in
the Zehler Region. Mike’s current responsibilities include overseeing
Asplundh tree crews working on the property of National Grid, New
York State Electric & Gas, Central Hudson Gas & Electric and various
municipal accounts. Prior to his work with Asplundh, Mike earned an
associate’s degree in law enforcement from Central Texas College in
1990 and served almost four years in the U.S. Army, working in
intelligence analysis.
Ron Muir, Jr., former general
foreperson in Maryland, advanced to field
supervisor under Vice President Steve Miller
in April. The Miller Region is sponsored by
Senior Vice President Gregg Asplundh.
Originally from Massachusetts, Ron joined
Asplundh in January 2008 as a complaint
inspector and soon became a general
foreperson. He came aboard with eight
years of experience in forestry and utility
arboriculture in the states of Massachusetts, Delaware and Maryland.
Ron’s supervisory responsibilities include overseeing Asplundh crews
working on the property of Potomac Electric Power Co. and several
major municipal accounts in Maryland. He holds a master’s and
bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of New Hampshire and
the University of Massachusetts, respectively. Ron has earned numerous
certifications and is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility and Municipal
Specialist and a Maryland Licensed Forester and Tree Expert.
Dan Stubbs, former general foreperson
in Ohio, was promoted to field supervisor
under Vice President Dave Sachs in March.
The Sachs Region is sponsored by Senior
Vice President Gregg Asplundh.
A 31-year Asplundh veteran, Dan came to
work on a tree crew in his native state of
Ohio in 1978. He advanced through the
ranks and became a general foreperson in
1992. Five years later, Dan took a temporary
assignment in New Zealand to assist local Asplundh management with
the start-up of a large contract. He returned to Ohio and continued
as a general foreperson until his recent promotion. Dan’s supervisory
responsibilities include overseeing distribution vegetation management
crews working on the property of AEP from Wheeling, W
est Virginia
across northern Ohio to Indiana. A member of the UAA, he is an ISA
Certified Arborist, CPR instructor and a licensed herbicide applicator in
Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Jim Teague, former regional safety
superintendent in the Dave Sachs Region,
advanced to field supervisor in parts of
Indiana and Michigan in March. Senior Vice
President Gregg Asplundh sponsors
the Sachs Region.
Jim first joined an Asplundh tree crew in
his home state of Michigan in 1995, but
left the company the following year to
work for other line clearance contractors.
By 1999, he had left tree work altogether for an apprenticeship in
line construction. After more than two years and 5,000 hours of line
construction work, Jim returned to the trees and Asplundh as a general
foreperson. In July 2007, he was named regional safety superintendent
in the Sachs Region. As a field supervisor, Jim is now responsible for
overseeing mostly distribution tree crews on the AEP/Indiana-Michigan
Power system. A 2006 graduate of ASTP, he is studying to become an
ISA Certified Arborist and has served two years in the U.S. Army.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
11
Retirees
honored
Congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy
retirement to all the Asplundh retirees listed here!
Larry Albee
First employed September 1974 Paul King
Retired December 2008
Foreperson, New York
First employed July 1998
Wade Dutton
Retired January 2009
General Foreperson, South Carolina
First employed October 1964
Doug Aspelund
Robert Bates Little
Foreperson, Idaho
Foreperson, Florida
First employed February 1988
First employed May 1994
George Ervin
Retired July 2008
Retired March 2009
General Foreperson, Maryland
First employed January 1965
Michael Butts
Lawrence Loos
General Foreperson, South Dakota Retired March 2009
Journeyman, Illinois
Jimmy Fultz
Retired March 2009
Retired October 2008
Trimmer, Indiana
First employed July 1997
Paul Chilcote
Peggy Martin
Retired November 2008
Journeyman, Ohio
Specialist, Accounts Payable
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Turner Grant
Retired March 2009
General Foreperson, North Carolina Retired March 2009
Jerry Cottrill
Journeyman, West Virginia
Maxwell Pearson, III
First employed April 1995
Foreperson, Massachusetts
Tom Gunning
Supervisor, Texas
Jerry Cox
Retired March 2009
Journeyman, Ohio
Bob Reed
First employed November 1996
Foreperson, Michigan
Homer Johnson
Retired April 2009
Groundperson, Tennessee
(plus 1 year with Tree
First employed August 2006
Robert Croft
Preservation Co.)
Work Planner, Nebraska
Retired February 2009
(plus 9 years with Blume System Robert Joyce
Joseph Smith, Sr.
Foreperson, Kansas
Tree Experts)
Foreperson,Virginia
First employed September 1999 First employed December 1975
Retired September 2008
Retired November 2008
Foreperson, Washington
First employed June 1979
Retired October 2008
David Jone Smith
Foreperson, Mississippi
Eddie Smitherman
General Foreperson, Alabama
Timothy Steele
Foreperson, Kentucky
First employed April 1997
Retired March 2009
Johnny Sullivan
Foreperson, Alabama
Wayne Vandyne
Foreperson, Colorado
First employed March 2000
Ronald Weiand
Foreperson, Pennsylvania
First employed January 1996
Walter Wright
Foreperson, New Hampshire
Retired March 2009
William Daw
Foreperson, Washington
t “After March 27 th, it’s not
my problem!” is the message
Accounts Payable Specialist
Peggy Martin kept close to her
heart on a specially-made button
as she prepared for retirement
after 17 years of service in the
Asplundh Home Office in Willow
Grove, Pennsylvania. Peggy was all
smiles as her co-workers threw a
goodbye luncheon in her honor
on March 19. She worked in the
Accounts Payable Department
the entire time, making sure
that various fuel, Fed-Ex, lodging
and other expenses were paid
promptly. Best wishes for a happy
and healthy retirement, Peggy!
12
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
t At the Steve Miller Region
Annual Meeting in January 2008,
General Foreperson Bill Baer
(R) was presented with a special
plaque by V
ice President Steve
Milller (L), wishing him a happy
retirement after 42 years of
dedicated service. Even though
Bill returned to work for a short
time in November to help with
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, he’s
now officially enjoying the good life alongside his wife, Pat. Bill joined Asplundh
in November 1965 working on a manual crew for Baltimore Gas & Electric
in Maryland. He spent the rest of his career in the state, rising up through
the ranks as he worked for various municipalities and Maryland DOT. Bill
even gave Steve Miller his start with the company in 1977 when he hired
the future vice president as a groundperson.With plenty of time now for
golfing and fishing, we wish Bill a long, active and enjoyable retirement!
InMemoriAm
Tom Anderson (continued from inside front cover)
as the manager of A splundh operations on that property. T
om continued to supervise tree crews under Vice President Allen LeBlanc working on PSE&G
circuits until his passing in January. A long-time member of the New Jersey Shade Tree Federation,Tom was also active in his hometown of T
renton and
was an avid golfer.
Tom is survived by his wife of 49 years, Lorraine; a daughter, Lori and a son, Michael and four grandchildren.Tom is missed by his family, friends,
customers and co-workers who will soon plant a memorial tree at Mercer County Park to honor his work and life.
t Shirley Wallace, retired office
manager of the Mel Riley Region
in Lenexa, Kansas, passed away on
December 2, 2008 after a long battle
with breast cancer. A 19-year veteran of
Asplundh, she was 60 years old.
Shirley was hired in February 1989 as
secretary to Vice President Mel Riley,
overseeing the office administration
needs for his operations covering parts
of Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.
She created one of the first regional newsletters in June 1991, which
she produced until her retirement. Shirley was also known for her love
of animals and was an avid photographer. Her photo of a butterfly
was recognized with a second place prize in The Asplundh TREE
magazine’s 2003 Shoot Out Contest.
Shirley is survived by her husband, Ron, and her extended Region 66
family. She will be missed by all.
t Retired General Foreperson Richard
P. Smith passed away on June 6,
2009 in Meadville, Pennsylvania after
succumbing to colon cancer. He was
79 years old.
A 40-year Asplundh veteran, Richard
joined the company in northwestern
Pennsylvania after graduating from high
school in 1948. He left the company in
1951 to serve in the U.S. A rmy during
the Korean War, but returned to Asplundh
after being honorably discharged in 1953. Richard’s passion for his work
helped him lead a very successful career and served as a source of
inspiration for many of those who worked for him over the years.
Richard is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patricia; son,Tim; daughter,
Brenda; two grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren.We send our
deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Asplundh Helps Maintain Co-op
Member Relations
continued from page 7
Member Outreach
Getting to know the members and
showing them how we work were some
of the goals of General Foreperson Rick
Hilliard (at left) at the 71st Annual Clay
Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting in
Keystone Heights, Florida in March.
My travels to North Carolina taught
me a lot about the co-op philosophy and
made me realize that there are other
ways that Asplundh helps to maintain
member satisfaction. Examples include
participating in the electric cooperative’s
annual meetings and service projects that
offer direct benefits to co-op members.
Over the years, Asplundh has found these
meetings and projects to be very helpful in
building member’s confidence in the co-op’s
vegetation management program. Working
together, Asplundh and electric cooperatives
can achieve the goal of safe, reliable and
affordable power for members everywhere.
Supervisor Rob Forrell (far R) and General Foreperson
Colin Roche (far L) of the Tim Manners Region in
Pennsylvania joined with Chris Kondzielski and Dave
Mumford of Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative
last fall for a benefit golf outing. The proceeds supported
Northwestern REC’s member-to-member program. This
was their fifth year of participating, but Colin and Rob better
stick to tree work as their golf scores weren’t very good!
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
13
Orchids
Letters and telephone calls were received complimenting the following forepersons and their crews
working on the property of the utility or organization listed below the employees’ names. This listing
covers all Orchids that were received in the Corporate Communications Department between
November 1, 2008 and May 12, 2009. For their outstanding job performance or special volunteer
efforts, we say ...
Thank you and congratulations!
ALABAMA
General Foreperson
Michael Carden,
Forepersons David Bishop
and David Brown and
Trimmers James Bishop
and Eric Tant,
Alabama Power Co.
Trimmer Mitchell Mosley,
for finding and returning a cell
phone to its grateful owner,
Alabama Power Co.
Work Planner Don
Sheppard, Foreperson Alicia
Berry and Trimmer Jake
Sims, for coming to the aid of a
homeowner who was pinned in
a tree by a limb he had just cut,
Alabama Power Co.
Alberta
General Foreperson Jeff
Deuschel and Crew,
FortisAlberta
ARIZONA
Ismael Garcia and Ken
Knight and Trimmers Tony
Brower and Jaime Venzor,
Salt River Project
ARKANSAS
Groundperson Calvin Terry,
for providing first aid to an
elderly resident of the Pine Bluff
area who went into convulsions,
Entergy
CALIFORNIA
Javier Aispuro and Trimmer
Javier Mariscal,
San Diego Gas & Electric
Utility Tree Service General
Forepersons Bernardo
Arambula and Jose Mariscal
and Crews,
Pacific Gas & Electric
Utility Tree Service General
Foreperson Justin Moench,
Foreperson Richard
Travis and Journeyman
Matthew Dillinger,
Pacific Gas & Electric
General Foreperson
Armando Valdez,
Foreperson Mario
Ventura and Trimmers
Guillermo Gamboa and
Guillermo Reyes,
Southern California Edison
Jose Valle, Climber Scotty
Francis and Groundperson
Justin Reynolds, for providing
traffic control around a primary
wire downed by a tractor being
towed on a flat bed truck,
San Diego Gas & Electric
COLORADO
Work Planner Robert
Garcia, Forepersons
Samuel Gurrolo and Justin
Maestas,Trimmer Aristeo
Flores and Groundperson
Edward Zebrowski,
Mountain Parks Electric
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
General Foreperson
Domingo Bonilla,
Foreperson Jose F. Salvador
and Groundperson
Martir Moreno,
Potomac Electric Power Co.
FLORIDA
General Foreperson Steve
Cyr, Forepersons Duane
Gilbert, Mike Lucas, Israel
Pacheco and David Radcliff,
Journeyman John Bragdon
and Groundpersons Ralph
Henry, John Holton and
Sean Logan,
Florida Power & Light
Eusebio Escoto, Anderson
Jerome and Milton
Rivas and Groundperson
Walder Villareal,
General Foreperson Angel
Garcia, Foreperson Bacilio
Alcala and Crews,
Talquin Electric Cooperative
Work Planner Greg Pearson,
GEORGIA
General Foreperson Mike
Leverett, Foreperson Milton
Johnson,Trimmer W.A. Carr
and Groundperson Oliver
Mann, Jr.,
Ocmulgee EMC
Illinois
RSS Rich Heller and Crew,
ComEd
Arturo Ortiz and Jack
Willett,Trimmers J. Refugio
Padilla Alvarez, Joshua
Bryant and Rich Meyer and
Groundperson Alejandro
Bracero, for taking proactive
steps to protect a kill deer nest
near their worksite,
ComEd
General Foreperson Loren
Peterson and Crews
City of Naperville DPU
Indiana
General Foreperson Todd
Dawson, Forepersons Daron
Shaul and Josh Stigall and
Trimmers Ronnie Cooper
and Larry Shaul,
Duke Energy
Supervisor Carl Marcum,
General Foreperson Jorge
Martinez, Foreperson Jose
Patino,Trimmer Abad
Villanueva and Groundperson
Malapica Macario,
Indiana Michigan Power
From an e-mail to Asplundh Canada ULC headquarters in Alberta
regarding General Foreperson Jeff Deuschel and crews in the John
Moir Region, who work for FortisAlberta:
From a letter to the City of Naperville Department of Public Works
regarding the work of General Foreperson Loren Peterson and crews
from the Larry Gauger Region in Illinois:
“We received a call in the call centre today from a very happy
customer who wanted to give the crew kudos for the work they’d done.
... He said,“They left the place cleaner than when they got there.”
Kerri Campbell, Call Centre Agent
“... Although I think cutting trees around wires is unnatural and ugly, I
understand the concept. Putting that aside, the crews working on the
trees in the West Highlands area have been professional and respectful.
... I don’t know how this type of work is awarded, but I want to go on
record that Asplundh was a good choice for the work.”
Kathleen Simko
14
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Orchids – November 1, 2008 through May 12, 2009
ArborMetrics Solutions
Work Planner Henry
Wienholts, for alerting
homeowners to a swarm of
bees near the site of a recently
removed tree,
NIPSCO
Iowa
General Foreperson Tim
Woltering, Foreperson
Mike Wullner and Trimmer
Les Soukup,
Linn County REC
Kentucky
Gary Kazee and Apprentice
James Mabry,
AEP/Kentucky Power
LOUISIANA
Chad Sandifer, Journeyman
Billy Shelton and
GroundpersonYancy Holmes,
Dixie Electric Membership Corp.
Massachusetts
Work Planner Pat Tracey
and Crews,
National Grid
Minnesota
Steve Shaffer,Trimmer
Richard Ferrell and
Journeyman Damian Lewis,
Xcel Energy
Mississippi
Thomas Muffler and
Hilda Perry and Apprentice
Kevin Pavolini,
Coast Electric Power Association
Missouri
Jarren Dinwiddie and
Groundperson PhillipWilliams,
LaClede Electric Cooperative
General Foreperson
Kevin Yowell, Foreperson
Gregg Ezell and Trimmer
Dallas McNew,
Intercounty Electric Co-op.
James Williams, Jr.
and Groundperson
Justin Alexander,
LaClede Electric Cooperative
Nevada
Coby Porter and Jose Reyes,
NV Energy
New Hampshire
Jeff Fellows and Crew,
Public Service Co. of NH
Heath Hendrickson
and Groundperson
Gary Hendrickson,
Roger Lister and Groundperson
Andrew Marchelletta,
National Grid
Tobin Roy andTrimmers Brett
Russell and Rick Sweeney,
New York
RSS Gregory Hallstein, for
doing an excellent job leading
an electric safety training and
demonstration session,
I.P.C. Contracting Corp.
North Carolina
General Foreperson Danny
Davis and Crews,
Duke Energy
Derrick Hardin and Crew,
EnergyUnited
Joey King and Dalen Riddle
and Crews,
Duke Energy
General Forepersons Ty
Ledford and Mike Smathers,
Forepersons Gary
Blankenship, David Boyd,
Jeremy Chambers, Rickey
Plemmons and Doug Smith,
Trimmers Kevin Gunter,
Michael Mann and Larry
Wells and Journeyman
Jorge Corrales,
Progress Energy
General Foreperson David
Simmons, Foreperson
William Hilton, Sr.,
Trimmers Chris May
and David Sheppard and
Apprentice Tim Moody,
Duke Energy
General Foreperson Robbie
Wood,Work Planner David
Brown, Forepersons Mac
Brooks and Scott Easter
and Crews, for their honesty
in returning a wallet they
found alongside the road in the
Hamptonville area,
Energy United
Ohio
General Foreperson Dave
Campfield and Crews,
AEP Ohio
Work Planner Todd Gibson,
Forepersons Lonnie
Cutright and Kasey Miller,
Trimmers Aaron Cutright,
T.J. Frame and Chad
Harney and Journeyman
Sammy Smoot,
AEP Ohio
Chris Meyers and Crew,
AEP Ohio
Chris Meyers and Earl
Roberts and Crews,
AEP Ohio
Supervisor Wes Washington,
General Foreperson Jan
Cory Chambers and Crews,
AEP Ohio
Supervisor Wes Washington,
General Foreperson Steve
Young, Forepersons Ed
Castle, Jim McCoy, Dan
Porter and Brian Stotridge
and Crews,
AEP Ohio
Oklahoma
Work Planner Brian
Stewart, Foreperson
Shannon W. Moore and
Trimmers Robert Bramlett
and Jose Sanchez,
AEP/PSO
OREGON
Matt Criscione, Flagger
Jose Bonilla and Apprentice
Steve Helling,
Portland General Electric
Pennsylvania
Work Planner Carl Fichter,
for observing and reporting two
line problems,
PECO Energy
From a letter to Vice President Barry Suddreth in North Carolina
regarding General Foreperson Danny Davis, who works for
Duke Energy:
From an e-mail to Supervisor Keith Confere regarding Forepersons
Chris Meyers and Earl Roberts and their crews from the Dave
Sachs Region who work for AEP Ohio:
“He is a very valuable employee with high capacity decision-making
skills and that special brand of ‘peace making’ that are a rare
combination these days. ...Thanks to you and Mr. Davis for a
job well done.”
Marilynn Chadwick, Forest Hill Church
“...The Hamrock’s son is the president of AEP Ohio and they sent him
an e-mail after the work was finished, letting him know what a great
job the crews did to shape their spruce trees. ...The crew was treated to
some fresh baked goods prepared by Mrs. Hamrock.”
Rob Fisher, AEP Ohio Forestry
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
15
Work Planner Vern Schifino,
Duquesne Light
Ricky Vonbergen and Crews,
PECO Energy
Tennessee
Branham and Crews,
Knoxville Utility Board
Michael Grizzel,Terry
Necessary and Marvin
Tignor,Trimmers Travis
Hutchins and Jeff Meade
and Groundpersons Brad
Hill, Keith McConnell and
Joshua Woodard,
AEP/Appalachian Power
Texas
General Foreperson
Truman Beck and Crews,
Xcel Energy
General Foreperson
Michael Delafuente,
Foreperson Ramiro
Martinez and Trimmers
Juan Covarrubias, Noe
Garcia and Jose Ramirez,
CPS Energy
General Foreperson
Jose Garcia, Forepersons
Francisco Flores and Elmer
Rivas and Journeymen
Tomas Escobar, Daniel
Garcia, Rafael Garcia,
Ramon Garcia, Roberto
Garcia, Juan Gonzalez,
Carlos Hernandez, Edwin
Rodriquez, Jose Rubio and
David Sandoval,
CPS Energy
General Foreperson Moses
Guerrero, Foreperson
Javier Martinez and
Trimmers Homero Garcia
and Raul Garcia,
AEP Texas
Dante Hernandez and
Trimmers Jose Cortez, Jr.
and Jose Garcia,
CPS Energy
Jose J. Ochoa and Crew
Members Jorge Corona and
Ricardo Hernandez, for helping
to free a woman whose finger
was trapped in a garage door
spring for 15 minutes,
Austin Energy
Virgin islands
Steve Beebe and
Groundpersons Miguel
Castillo and Darrell Joseph,
U.S.Virgin Islands Water and
Power Authority
Virginia
Supervisor Robbie
Adkins, Corporate Safety
Supervisor Mark Foster,
RSSs Mike Meador and
Don Patterson, General
Forepersons William
Ailstock and Tony
Garst, Foreperson Mark
Henderson,Trimmers
Jonathan Francisco, Ricky
Francisco, David Henley
and Illren Keller and
Groundperson David McFall,
General Foreperson James
Edwards and Crews,
Douglas Flowers, for being
aware of his surroundings while
working and quickly reporting a
fire before it got out of hand at
the Christ Presbyterian Parish in
Fort Union,
Dominion Virginia Power
Gary Hunter,Trimmers
Andrew Hunter and Zach
Worrell and Apprentice
Brandon Bain, for helping
a resident get her car back
on to the road after slipping off
an embankment,
Apprentice Elijah Love, for
his polite and amiable demeanor,
General Foreperson Bruce
Snapp, Forepersons Johnny
Amburgey and James Jesse,
Groundpersons Donald
Madden and Brandon
Woodard and Apprentice
Travis Begley,
Washington
Wayne Burbank and Vince
Galera,Trimmer Zoltan
Dornay and Journeyman
Marc Geoffrion,
Seattle City Light
General Foreperson
Richard Lloyd, Foreperson
Les Lundgren, Journeyman
Brian Suiter and Apprentice
Nick Fowler,
Snohomish County PUD
Terry Lonborg and Crew,
Tacoma Public Utilities
Tony Mabry and
Journeyman Paea Ngauamo,
Clark Public Utilities
General Foreperson Keven
Moore and ArborMetrics
Solutions Work Planner
Laura Bendtsen,
Puget Sound Energy
Journeyman Paea Ngauamo,
Clark Public Utilities
Martin Watson,Trimmer
Mark Horness and
Journeyman Dan Smith,
Clatskanie PUD
West Virginia
Allen Daniels and
Groundpersons Dale
Meadows and Justin Wyco,
Gary Holmes and Crews,
AEP Ohio
General Foreperson
Sammy Roy,Work Planner
Peter Collar, Foreperson
Jerry Rexrode and Crews,
Allegheny Power
General Foreperson Jim
Torok, Forepersons Burdett
Beucke, Gary Holmes, Jeff
Lough and Dell Turvey and
Trimmer Art Henry,
AEP/Wheeling Power Co.
Wisconsin
Journeymen Mike Carew,
Donald Haack and Pat
Koerner, for calling an
ambulance and providing first
aid to a resident who was
suffering a mini-stroke,
WE Energies
From a letter to Asplundh Tree Expert Co. in Roanoke, Virginia,
regarding the work of Larry Kirk Region crews under Forepersons
Michael Grizzel, Terry Necessary and Marvin Tignor, who work for
AEP in Tennessee:
From a letter to Harford Utilities Superintendent Brian Rhodes
regarding General Foreperson Tim Guetzke, Foreperson Tom
Bianchi, and Trimmer Nate Held of the Joe Schneider Region
in Wisconsin:
“...The crew that was here worked diligently. ... I [asked] if they could
saw up some of the wood for one of our National Guard soldiers,
seeing as this is the only way he and his family have to heat their
home. ...They wasted no time in accomplishing the task. ...They are to
be commended for their dedication, hard work and enthusiasm.”
Cheryl Robinette
“...After cleverly tying two ladders together, I proceeded up my makeshift
32-foot ladder [to cut] a smaller branch. ... An [Asplundh] supervisor
called out and asked me to please come down.Within minutes, another
Asplundh vehicle pulled up to make sure I did not climb back up the tree.
...We were truly impressed with their genuine concern for our safety.”
Daniel and Sandra Hillary
16
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Guetzke, Foreperson Tom
Bianchi and Trimmer Nate
Held, for preventing a resident
from pruning a tree that
could have resulted in a fall or
possible electrocution,
Hartford Utilities
General Foreperson Josh
Sterbenz, Forepersons
Paul Brownfield and Joe
Durkee,Trimmer Brian
Benjamin and Journeyman
Scott Murphy,
City of Wisconsin Dells
Joshua Yanke and Trimmer
Kevin Runt,
Hustiford Utilities
Storm work
July 2008
Severe Thunderstorm
General Foreperson Ed
Cote, Forepersons Brian
Bethiaume and Jonathon
Hinton,Trimmers Bernard
Bassett and Joshua Randall
and Groundperson Howard
Young, for professionally and
quickly responding to the storm,
Central VT Public Service
August 2008 – Hurricane Ike
General Foreperson Danny
Davis and Crews (NC), for
coming to the aid to the Town
of Splendora,
CPS Energy (TX)
December 2008 – Ice Storms
General Foreperson Jim
Torok and Crews (OH), for
their dedication and helping
during the restoration,
National Grid (MA)
Supervisors Ron Faison and
Frank Hollomon, General
Foreperson Campbell
Ferrell, Forepersons Stanley
Brim, Jr., Kenneth Hope,
Roland Meadows, Steven
Moody, Ismael Quezada,
Robert Rathbone,Thomas
Stewart and Larry
Wilkerson,Trimmers
Marcus Kenney and Jesus
Mendoza, Journeymen
Simitrio Gonzalez, Jose
Rodriquez and Wayne Tabor,
Groundperson Stephen
Cornett and Apprentice
Dennis Stevens (VA), for
doing a great job to help the
power restoration efforts,
National Grid (MA)
General Forepersons Elijah
Gilliam and Jim Torok and
Crews (OH), for traveling
so far from home to help the
residents of Weare clear debris
so power could be restored,
Public Service Co. of NH (NH)
Manager Tim Manners and
Crews (PA), for their quick
response to the ice storm,
Sussex REC (NJ)
Supervisor Rick Williams,
RSS Dominic Benoit,
General Forepersons
Graham Garland, Scott
Miller and Brian Patterson
and Crews, for their hard work
and efforts during the Christmas
2008 storm restoration,
Nova Scotia Power
From a letter to Manager Tim Manners, thanking him and his
crews for their storm response to the December 11, 2008 ice storm
in New Jersey:
“I want to extend my gratitude for the quick response and help that
your Company extended to Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative during
the December 11, 2008 ice storm outage our members experienced. ...
The crews from your Company did an amazing job and it was greatly
appreciated by all.Without their help, we could not have restored
services to our members as quickly as we did. ...Thank you again.”
James M. Siglin, President/CEO
January 2009 – Winter Storm
General Foreperson Kerry
Castle, Forepersons Alan
Doney, Dennis Erspamer,
Tony Mabry, Sione
Ngauamo and Gerald
Tabor,Trimmer Brandon
Dunn, Journeymen John
Eiseman, Don Erspamer,
Steve Morgan, Paea
Ngauamo and Kurt Solberg
and Apprentices Ricky
Blanchard, Jr., Richard
Butcher and Tony Maness,
for their excellent work during
the storm restoration,
Clark Public Utilities (WA)
January – February 2009
Ice Storms
Supervisor Carl Marcum,
General Foreperson Dave
Ouzts, Foreperson Ricky
Singer and Trimmers Ray
Reyna, John Weirich and
Roger Williams, Jr. (IN/MI),
for working safely and quickly
to help the power restoration
efforts in the Portsmouth and
Minford areas,
AEP Ohio (OH)
Danny Cooper and
Trimmer Billy Stanley, for
working efficiently to help speed
along the storm restoration
work in the Paducah area,
E.ON U.S. (KY)
Manager Jack Shupe,
General Foreperson Jerry
Beverly and Crews, for their
professionalism and diligence,
Owen Electric (KY)
Manager Jack Shupe and
Crews, for their many hours of
hard work and support during
the 12-day restoration effort,
Owensboro Municipal Utilities
Branham and Crews (TN),
for coming to the aid of the
residents of Owensboro to help
with the storm restoration,
Owensboro Municipal Utilities
Keith Jones and Crews, for
their dedication and working
long hours during the storm
restoration in the Lynchburg area,
AEP/Appalachian Power (VA)
General Foreperson Davy
Lambert,Work Planner
Jason Toppins and Crews, for
their helpfulness and the great
work ethic they displayed in the
Hamlin area,
AEP/Appalachian Power (VA)
February 2009 – Wind Storm
Vice President Dave
Puckett and Crews (PA/
WV), for helping to remove
debris strewn about by
a windstorm that hit the
Pittsburgh area on February 11,
Allegheny Power (PA)
April 2009 – Spring Storm
General Forepersons
James Blevins and Anthony
Creamers and Crews, for
working tirelessly over the
Easter weekend after two strong
storms knocked out power to
the Chattanooga area,
EPB of Chattanooga (TN)
From a letter to Vice President Steve Christiansen of Asplundh
Canada ULC regarding the storm restoration work of his crews:
“... I am writing on behalf of Premier Rodney MacDonald to thank you
for your hard work in the efforts to restore electricity to thousands of
Nova Scotians during the week of December 21 – 27, 2008. ...The
long hours you spent ... helped many other Nova Scotians enjoy their
holidays to the fullest.Your perseverance to assist your fellow citizens
despite terrible weather conditions exemplified the best of the holiday
spirit.Your efforts are truly appreciated.”
David Morse, Minister, Emergency Management Office
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
17
Service
Anniversaries
40years
January – June
1969, 1974, 1979, 1984 and 1989
35years
Michael Boxx
General Foreperson
Railroad Division
Mississippi
Greg Cook
RSS
Florida
Debby Conigliaro
Assistant to Vice President
Railroad Division
Willow Grove
Jerry Dube
General Foreperson
Asplundh Brush Control Co.
Missouri
Lionel Roy
General Foreperson
Asplundh Brush Control Co.
Oklahoma
Talmage Hale
Foreperson
Maryland
Dave Puckett
Vice President
Pennsylvania
30years
Ronald Dickinson
Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Tim Flansburg
Foreperson
Minnesota
Tom Lacy
General Foreperson
Ohio
Robert Schlecht
Journeyman
Wisconsin
18
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Pascual Huizar
Foreperson
California
James Lee
Foreperson
North Carolina
Ricky West
General Foreperson
North Carolina
Raymond Kelley
General Foreperson
Kentucky
Larry Reitz
Journeyman
Wisconsin
Terry Wolske
General Foreperson
Minnesota
Walter Wright
Foreperson
New Hampshire
25years
John Ashby
Sprayer
Railroad Division
Tennessee
John Christopher
General Foreperson
Maine
Wayne Bailey
General Foreperson
Minnesota
George Baisden
General Foreperson
Kentucky
Richard Bassler
Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Jimmy Cleckler
Foreperson
Alabama
Gary Coan
Coordinator
Alabama
John Combs
General Foreperson
Kentucky
Greg Bennett
Supervisor
Financial Accounting
Willow Grove
Willie Dallas
Foreperson
Alabama
Joe Davis
Trimmer
Alabama
Thomas Durham
Foreperson
Kentucky
Bruce Eldridge, Jr.
Work Planner
Kentucky
Dean Ellefson
Foreperson
Minnesota
Dennis Fosbenner
General Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Jeffrey Franzene
Foreperson
Michigan
Orbie Grigsby
Trimmer
Kentucky
Elijah Gwinn
Work Planner
Kentucky
Timothy Hayman
General Foreperson
Alabama
Gary Kilishek
Journeyman
Wisconsin
Benny King
Foreperson
Kentucky
Gene Lentz
General Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Freddy Miller
Work Planner
Kentucky
Dunc Lawrence
Supervisor
Asplundh Canada ULC
Alberta, Canada
James Moen
Foreperson
Minnesota
Michael Parsons
Foreperson
Kentucky
Ed Maddalozzo
Supervisor
Asplundh Canada ULC
British Columbia, Canada
Edward Pennington
General Foreperson
Kentucky
Remo Maddalozzo
Vice President
Asplundh Canada ULC
British Columbia, Canada
Thomas Rasmusson
Foreperson
Wisconsin
Juan Rodriguez
Mechanic
California
Danny Rose
General Foreperson
Kentucky
Roger Satterfield
General Foreperson
West Virginia
Floyd Spitler
RSS
Oklahoma
Jeff Stromberg
Foreperson
Michigan
Jimmy Tackett
Foreperson
Kentucky
Sam Tipton
General Foreperson
Kansas
Bobbie Valentino
Input Operator
Payroll
Willow Grove
Harlan Williams
Foreperson
West Virginia
Warren Yates
Trimmer
Kentucky
20years
Jon Alderson
Sprayer
Railroad Division
Iowa
Helio Covarrubias
Journeyman
California
Sandie Franklin
Equip. System Admin.
Fleet Services
Willow Grove
Juan Martinez
Foreperson
Virginia
Charles Bearden
General Foreperson
Alabama
Steven Beaty
Foreperson
Oregon
Joseph Bishop
General Foreperson
Florida
Robert Bolling, Jr.
Foreperson
Virginia
Donald Brown
Coordinator
Florida
Jim Dodd
Foreperson
Alabama
Kenneth Gregory
Foreperson
North Carolina
Dennis Erspamer
Foreperson
Washington
Albert Hill
Foreperson
North Carolina
Ifocsa Federic
Foreperson
Florida
Thomas Kellough
General Foreperson
Ohio
William Feltner
Foreperson
Kentucky
Ray Kitzmiller
General Foreperson
Texas
John Fivecoat
Foreperson
Missouri
David Long
Safety Supervisor
Alabama
Ellen Mattox
Kevin McFarlan
Supervisor/Ops.
Notification Person
Information Technology
West Virginia
Willow Grove
Darrell Pye
Wilford Reynolds, Jr. David Reynolds
Foreperson
General Foreperson
Journeyman
Georgia
Georgia
New York
Tommy Satterfield
Kurt Solberg
John Stevens
General Foreperson
Journeyman
General Foreperson
North Carolina
Washington
Florida
Stacey Molenari
Claims Examiner
Risk Management
Willow Grove
Steven Robinson
Foreperson
North Carolina
Kevin Strobel
General Foreperson
Florida
Keven Moore
General Foreperson
Washington
James Morgan
Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Felipe Valdez
Foreperson
California
Rafael Vega
Foreperson
Florida
Clint Whitney
Journeyman
New Jersey
David Romig
Edwin Santiago
Journeyman
Foreperson
Pennsylvania
Florida
Phil Tatoian, Jr.
Manuel Uriarte
VP/General Counsel
Foreperson
Legal
Florida
Willow Grove
Rich Williams
Fausto Zapata
Supervisor/Ops.
General Foreperson
Information Technology
Florida
Willow Grove
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
19
Crews
& News
30-YearWatches
p Foreperson Harold McKee (second from L) was presented with a
specially-engraved watch by Manager Wendell Smitherman (far L) and
congratulated by Supervisor Don Hogan (second from R) and General
Foreperson Richard Boswell (far R) for achieving 30 years of service. Harold
began his career with Asplundh in August 1977 as a groundperson in the
Georgiana, Alabama area. He left the company briefly, but returned in late
1978 as a climber. Harold’s hard work was noticed and in 1997, he took on
the duties of foreperson. He has been involved with various storm responses,
including the 2005 Hurricane Rita restoration in Texas. Currently, Harold
oversees a distribution line clearance crew in the Montgomery area on
Alabama Power Co. property.
p A little snow couldn’t keep Supervisor Dean Delsman (L) and General
Foreperson Andrew Lewis (R) from showing Foreperson Don Baumgartner
(center) their appreciation of his 30 years of dedicated service. Don was
treated to lunch where he was presented with a specially-engraved watch
to mark this milestone. Don was originally hired back in October 1978 as
a climber on Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) property in the Eagle River,
Minocqua and Rhinelander areas of northern Wisconsin. Over the years,
he worked his way up to permissions person and was promoted to general
foreperson in May 1999. Even more remarkable than the fact that Don has
remained on WPS property for his entire career is that he has also worked
incident free for the entire time as well. T
alk about “Safety First!” Don
currently oversees a two-man 4x4 aerial lift crew maintaining vegetation
around WPS distribution lines in northern Wisconsin.
20
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
t Foreperson Tom
Lacy (L) received a
hearty handshake
of thanks for 30
years of loyalty and
service from Vice
President Dave Sachs
(R). Supervisor Kevin
Gibson couldn’t be
present for the photo
and the presentation of
the specially-engraved
watch, but he took Tom
out to lunch a few days
earlier to celebrate this
milestone in his career.
Tom joined Asplundh
in February 1979 as
a groundperson/driver working in the Cincinnati, Ohio area for Cinergy (now
Duke Energy) in what is now the Kelly Runkle Region.Tom’s strong work ethic
was recognized with a promotion to foreperson in 1983 and again in 1994
when he earned a general foreperson’s position.Tom remained on Cinergy
property in the Cincinnati area for 27 years, but in 2006, he transferred to the
Dave Sachs Region. Currently, this hard-working general foreperson oversees
crews working for AEP Ohio in the Chillicothe area.
p It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of Foreperson
Justin Boibel (inset), who lost his battle against lung cancer on May 23,
2009. Justin, from the Eugene Wyatt Region in Florida, was diagnosed with
cancer just after returning from the Hurricane Ike restoration work in Texas
this past fall. He marked 30 years with the company in December 1978, but
was too ill to accept in person the specially-engraved watch made for him.
So, General Foreperson Eline Noel (center), Justin’s co-worker and friend of over
22 years, graciously accepted the watch on his behalf from Vice President
Eugene Wyatt (L) and Supervisor Marty Robinson (R). Justin was known as
a very dedicated, well-respected and productive leader of the three-man
manual crew he worked on in the Miami area for Florida Power & Light. He
always responded quickly to emergency work at any hour, and had worked
just about every major storm restoration since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
TrainingTimes
p October ASTP—On October 6-10, 2008, Field Personnel Manager of
Training and Development Ryan Swier hosted the Asplundh Supervisory Training
Program (ASTP) at the Home Office.The graduates were (front row, L to R):
Chuck Dykes, ArborMetrics Solutions, Indiana; Craig Ormandy, New York; Jim
Richard, Massachusetts; Rusty McCumbee,West Virginia; Roger Evans, Montana;
and Guillermo Cid, Pennsylvania. In the back row were (L to R): Jeramie Socey,
Utility Tree Service, California; Randy Yates, Florida; Mike Dant, Illinois; John Mitchell,
Oklahoma; Nick Jackson,Virginia; and Brial Hotsko, Railroad Division, Ohio.
p December ASTP—Ryan hosted the last ASTP class of 2008 on
December 8-12 at the Home Office in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.The
attendees were (back row, L to R): Ron Muir, Jr., Maryland; Caleb Crofford,
Oklahoma; Carlos Ocampo, Illinois;Troy Hocker,Texas; Christian Calderon,Texas;
and Terry Holbrook, Arkansas. Standing in the front row were (L to R): Eduardo
Nunez, Iowa; Clarence Hartzell, North Carolina; A dalberto Benet, Florida;Vicente
Garcia, Ohio; Mark Johnson,Virginia; Bruce Lee, New Hampshire; and Mark
Cofer, A labama.
p April ASTP—The first graduating ASTP class of 2009 met on April 20-24
at the Home Office.The participants were (front row, L to R): Patrick Warren,
Minnesota; A lex Ramos, California; Diego Adams,Texas; Eddie Doss, Florida;
Brian Henrickson, Indiana; and Rigo Huerta, A labama. Standing in the back row
were (L to R): Larry Browning, Pennsylvania; Chris Gay, Colorado; A aron Davis,
Kansas; Fernando Perez, Illinois; Billy Joe Rowell, South Carolina; Pete Ortiz,Texas;
Denny Kyne,West Virginia; and Anthony Lewis, Kentucky.
p May ASTP—Ryan Swier hosted another fine group of general
forepersons on May 11-15 for the ASTP course.The attendees were (back
row, L to R): Benjamin Huerta, A labama; John Ortiz, Indiana; Doug Allison,
Kansas; Francisco “Paco” Plascencia, Illinois;Wayne Morgan, Florida; and
Lorenzo Cruz, California. In the front row were (L to R): Dave Busch, Florida;
Justin Moench, Utility Tree Service, California; Mike Huffmaster, Mississippi;
Stan Smith, Ohio; and Marlos Canales, Louisiana.
t Substation Training Keeps
Herbicide Applicators Safe—There
are numerous hazards one can encounter
while working in and around a substation,
and as a result,Westar Energy’s policy was
to have herbicide applicators escorted
by Westar employees while performing
work in these areas. In March,Westar
Energy invited Asplundh Corporate Safety
Supervisor Mike Blount (L), who oversees
the safety of Asplundh Construction Corp.
crews in Missouri, to teach a substation
safety class to herbicide applicators from
the Mel Riley Region of Kansas.The
four-hour-long class consisted of classroom
and field training, and focused on
hazards and proper substation entry.The
employees who attended the training are
now authorized to enter substations solo,
working even more safely than before.
p Sachs Region Refreshes Jarraff Training—On April 23, employees
from the Dave Sachs Region met with a representative from Jarraff Industries
in New Philadelphia, Ohio for an in-depth training session on the popular
side-trimming unit.The Sachs Region hadn’t used this particular type of
equipment in about three years, so the course provided an opportunity for new
employees to learn all about the abilities of the Jarraff, while seasoned veterans
could ask questions and refresh their existing skills.These crews will take their
freshly-honed side trimmer knowledge with them as they work on AEP Ohio
distribution lines.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
21
LiftSchools
HomeOfficeHonors
Employee of the Year
Elvin Rosado
On December 11, 2008 during
the annual Holiday Assembly,
Senior Quantitative Analyst
and Supervisor Elvin Rosado
of the Risk Management
Department was named the
2008 Home Office Employee
of the Year.
p Corpus Christi,Texas—Equipment Training and Inspection Supervisor
Greg “Dirt Buzzard” Homiller escaped the cold Pennsylvania winter and
headed to the warmth of the Allen LeBlanc Region in Texas for his first Aerial
Lift and Equipment Inspection class of 2009. Held on February 21 at the
Corpus Christi yard, Greg presented his course to a packed house of general
forepersons and supervisors.These folks and their crews work on the properties
of AEP Texas, Austin Energy, CPS Energy, Magic Valley Electric Cooperative,
Medina Electric Cooperative, Nueces Electric Cooperative, San Patricio Electric
Cooperative and the Public Utilities Board of Brownsville.
Elvin joined Central Locating
Service, Ltd. (a former
subsidiary of Asplundh) in
May 2002 as an accounting
supervisor. In June 2003, he
moved into a position in the Asplundh Risk Management Department,
where he has remained since. A recently-appointed member of the
Asplundh Storm Team, Elvin has been recognized with multiple PRIME
awards for his superior work performance, and has broadened his
knowledge of risk and insurance by earning an Associate in Risk
Management (ARM) certificate in April 2008.
Congratulations, Elvin, on this well-deserved honor!
p Omaha, Nebraska—About a month later, the “Dirt Buzzard” flew out
to the Kevin Dove Region to present a double header of equipment and lift
inspection classes to eager employees in the Midwest.The first class was held on
March 18 in Omaha, Nebraska.These crews, who work under Supervisor Adam
Larson and General Forepersons Jason Cooper, David Sweeney and Mike Wipf,
participated in the session and will take their new lift and equipment inspection
knowledge with them onto the property of Omaha Public Power District.
p Home Office Employees of the Month—Credit was given where
credit was due to this latest group of hard working and very deserving
Home Office Employees of the Month award winners. Taisha Foster of
the Human Resources/Benefits Department won in December 2008; Gail
Weisser of Fleet Services became the first winner of 2009 in January; Phil
Felix of Procurement Services received this honor for the third time in March;
Maureen Cruice kept the award in the Procurement Services Department
for another month with her second win in May; and rounding out the group
as the July 2009 winner was Don Welby of Overheads/Fixed Assets.
Congratulations and keep up the great work!.
t Wisconsin Rapids,Wisconsin—The next day, March 19, Equipment
Training and Inspection Supervisor Greg Homiller traveled to Wisconsin Rapids,
Wisconsin to present his Aerial Lift and Equipment Inspection class to another
batch of enthusiastic folks from the Kevin Dove Region. Manager Kevin Dove was
on hand for this session, along with employees who work under Supervisor Scott
Richter and General Forepersons Mike Friese, Kevin Richter and Josh Sterbenz.
They all work on the property of Alliant Energy.
22
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
OnThejob
p Hazard Trees House Wildlife—Over the
years, BC Hydro has commissioned hundreds of
wildlife trees – trees threatening power lines are
topped to eliminate the risk, and perching branches
are retained to give birds and small mammals a
safe place to rest. Last November, Asplundh Canada
ULC Foreperson Von Rywaczuk (above) of the
Remo Maddalozzo Region helped take the concept
one step further while performing a removal in the
Cariboo District in the central interior section of
British Columbia. He used a chainsaw to carve an
artificial nesting cavity into a wildlife tree.The hope
is that wood ducks, one of the few North American
ducks to nest in trees, will take to the wildlife trees
and thrive in the area. It’s all part of BC Hydro’s and
Asplundh’s commitment to the environment.
p Asplundh Heads Downtown for
Removal— Big tree removals are nothing new
for Asplundh, but tackling a 70-foot-tall sycamore
in the middle of W
ooster, Ohio’s busy downtown
shopping district takes expertise and skill. General
Foreperson James Heyhurts and his crews from the
Dave Sachs Region in Ohio were definitely up to
the task.The power remained flowing through AEP
Ohio power lines during the day-and-a-half long
removal process.Vehicular and pedestrian traffic
were carefully controlled while Forepersons Paul
Parrish and Brendan Rehard,Trimmer Jason Stevens,
Groundperson Trevor Long and Apprentice Richard
Hammond used two aerial lift trucks to safely bring
the sycamore down without incident or damage to
any of the surrounding businesses, including a
plate-glass store front located on the corner just
below the tree.This was definitely a job well done,
with safety and efficiency at the forefront!
p Asplundh Crews in Norway?—Well,
Norway, Michigan, that is! In August 2008, General
Foreperson Bob Kubacki, Crew Leader Ryan
Mylchreest and Journeyman Paul Wilgreen of the
Joe Schneider Region removed approximately 20
large danger trees that had been causing outages
along the City of Norway’s main distribution line.
The project took about three weeks to finish, and
the largest tree (shown above) was a 125-foottall white pine.This project marked the first time
Asplundh worked for the City of Norway, and we’re
pleased to report that the work was completed
safely, on time and without incident.This job is just
another example of Asplundh crews getting it
done “the better way” — safely and efficiently.
p Willis Region Crews Gang Up on
Overgrown Vegetation—NV Energy had a
stretch of trees in Sparks, Nevada that was growing
through their primary and secondary conductors
along McCarran Boulevard, the main road in the
area.The call was made to Will Willis to see if his
crews could tame the one-mile stretch of overgrown
vegetation in one day with minimal disruption to
traffic.Will added crews from Fallon, Carson City
and Reno, who normally work on Sierra Pacific
Nevada property, to his crews already working for
NV Energy. Nevada DOT closed one lane of traffic
to provide a safe location for the crews to set their
spilt dump and five aerial lifts. Six crews under
Supervisor Ed Boyd and General Forepersons David
Gonzalez and Matt McClurg worked quickly to clear
the troublesome trees. NV Energy was so pleased
with the results that Asplundh has been asked to
return to prune trees on the other side of the road.
Community
service
p Grinding of the Greens—Asplundh crews
from the Doug Smith Region participated for the
first time this year in the “Grinding of the Greens”
Christmas tree recycling program sponsored by
Keep the Midlands Beautiful, an organization
dedicated to beautification, waste reduction,
recycling and litter prevention. On January 9-10,
Forepersons David Chiki, Steven Hines and Jeff
Porter,Trimmers Jose Rosales and Gregorio Velasco
and Groundperson Craig Jamieson, who work
on the property of South Carolina Electric and
Gas Co., volunteered to man chippers at three
different recycling locations in South Carolina.The
mulch created was then given free of charge back
to the community to continue the beautification
process. All told, they helped to keep about 3,500
to 4,000 Christmas trees out of the landfill.
p Asplundh Helps Church Say Goodbye
to Old Friend—The Centre Friends Meeting
of Greensboro, North Carolina was established
in 1757. Shortly after the church was built, a
white oak tree was planted outside the doors of
the church. After 250 years, the 80-foot-tall tree
(shown above) was dead and started to drop limbs
onto the ground below. Luckily no one was hurt,
but it became apparent to the congregation that
the tree needed to be removed. Barry Suddreth
Region Forepersons Joey King and Dalen Riddle,
who work on the property of High Point Electric
Utilities Department, volunteered to perform the
removal and help the church save hundreds of
dollars. On October 11, 2008, Joey and Dalen
carefully removed the branches and then brought
the tree down in sections with the help of a
70-foot aerial lift. Once the tree was down and the
aerial lift was removed, the members of Centre
Friends joined together to remove the debris.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
23
FamilyAlbum
t Little charmer
Joshua William Hare
just celebrated his first
birthday on June 19.The
first child of Fleet Services
AVMS Customer Service
Administrator Suzanne
Hare and her husband,
Billy, Joshua is a far cry
from the 8-lb., 20.75''
newborn he was a year
ago. In fact, Joshua is so
grown up that he is about
to become a big brother
– he has a baby sister
due sometime around
the middle of August.
Congratulations,
Hare Family!
u Laura Mae
Ramey, born April 3,
2009, is the fifth child
of Asplundh Railroad
Division Foreperson
Henry Ramey, and
his wife, Melissa. Laura
was 6 lbs., 5 oz. at birth
and measured 19'' long.
Henry has worked in the
Tom Mayer Region for
the past 14 years, and
currently oversees herbicide
applications for Long Island
Railroad in New York. His
son, Anthony, also works
for the Railroad Division
as a sprayer.
t The “orange blood”
is starting early in the
Colburn family. Four-year-old
Cadence, the daughter
of David and Ashley
Colburn, isn’t afraid to show
her Asplundh pride as she
poses with a sweet smile in
an Asplundh t-shirt by her
dad’s work truck. David is
a sprayer in the Railroad
Division based out of Olive
Branch, Mississippi. His work
takes him across the country
wherever the rails run. He is
currently applying herbicide
to track side vegetation on
Montana Rail Link property
that runs throughout
Montana and northern Idaho.
u Bo Newport, a
15-year-old sophomore at
Prairie View High School
in Kansas, placed 4th
in the 2009 4A State
Wrestling Tournament on
February 27-28, 2009.
Proud parents, Chris and
Shelly, cheered their son
on as he competed against
the area’s best competitors
in the 112-pound weight
class. Bo started wrestling
when he was just 4 years
old. Chris, a former high
school state champion
wrestler himself, has
coached his son since the
beginning. Bo is a member
of the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes and the
Future Farmers of America,
and has also participated in football, track and baseball. Dad Chris is a
general foreperson in the Mel Riley Region, who oversees crews on
the property of Kansas City Power & Light in Missouri.
t With such a lovely family waiting for him at home, it’s easy to understand
why Lead Foreperson Chad Burris works safely every day. Chad and
his wife, Crystal, are proud to introduce you to their handsome trio of
children (L to R): Colby, 4, Caitlyn, 2, and C.J., 6. Dad Chad works in the
Barry Suddreth Region. He oversees an aerial lift crew along Duke Energy
distribution lines in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area.
24
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
Merit
A
Awards
Top Climber Martin Figueroa (center)
received a handshake of appreciation from
CPS Energy Senior Forester Wes Boettcher
(left) after being presented with a Silver Merit
Award by Manager Gene Blount (right). During
Hurricane Ike restoration work in Houston
last September, Martin noticed smoke coming
from a nearby house and was able to bring the
family to safety before the fire engulfed most
of their home.
splundh is fortunate to have
so many brave, helpful and
skilled employees, including
the 13 featured on these pages whose
good deeds recently earned them Silver
Merit Award pins.
Rescue from Burning Home
On September 21, 2008 in Houston,
Texas, Top Climber Martin Figueroa of the
Gene Blount Region was in the midst of
storm restoration work after Hurricane
Ike when he noticed smoke coming from
the attic of a nearby home. Earlier in the
day, a woman and her two children had
stopped to thank his crew and then they
had gone into this house. He immediately
ran to the home and knocked on the
doors, with no response.
Martin decided to enter the home to
alert the family and was able to bring
them and their pets to safety. He called
911, notified a neighbor of the emergency
and had all the crew trucks moved to
make a clear path for emergency vehicles.
Early one morning in Texas this spring, Austin
Energy Forester Ray Henning (far L) and
Sponsor/Senior Vice President Chris Asplundh, Jr.
(second from L) joined with Vice President Allen
LeBlanc (far R) and Austin Energy Line Clearance
Leader Trey Sizemore (second from R) to present
Silver Merit Awards to these orange-shirted
heroes (L to R): Foreperson Jose J. Ochoa and
Crew Members Jorge Corona and Ricardo
Hernandez. They rescued and comforted a
woman who had been trapped with her finger
caught in a garage door spring last November.
During their Regional Annual Meeting in
Birmingham, Alabama in March, Sponsor/
Vice President Steve Bostock (far R)
joined with Manager Wendell Smitherman
(second from R) and General Foreperson
John Reeves (far L) to present Silver Merit
Awards to (L to R) Coordinator Don
Sheppard, Foreperson Alicia Berry and
Trimmer Jake Sims. They were honored
for rescuing a man who was pinned in a
tree by a large branch he had just cut.
CPS Energy Senior R-O-W Agent
Manuel Perez III wrote, “This employee’s
diligence, preparedness and quick
response saved lives and shows the
caliber of force within your team of
employees and is worthy of recognition.”
Garage Door Accident
Early in the morning of November 7,
2008 in Austin, Texas, Ms. Lena Flynn was
leaving for work when her finger became
“fish-hooked” into a metal spring on the
garage door. Standing on her tip toes,
trying to free herself from the spring, she
began to call for help.
Several houses away, Foreperson Jose
J. Ochoa and Crew Members Jorge
Corona and Ricardo Hernandez of the
Allen LeBlanc Region were preparing to
work along Austin Energy power lines.
They heard Ms. Flynn’s calls and eventually
found her in the garage. Jose lifted her
up while Jorge ripped down the springs.
Despite being distraught, she was able
to remove the spring from her finger.
The crew consoled her and offered to
call 911, but she declined. In a letter to
Asplundh, Ms. Flynn wrote, “I will be
forever grateful to all of them as they
did more than rescue me that day ...
they comforted me.”
Neighbor Pinnned in Tree
On March 5 in Roanoke, Alabama,
Foreperson Alicia Berry and Trimmer
Jake Sims of the Wendell Smitherman
Region were working along Alabama
Power Co. lines when Coordinator Don
Sheppard stopped by. He noticed an
elderly neighbor, Mr. Bobby Rowell, was
also doing some tree work. Right then, a
large branch that he was sawing struck
the ground and bounced back, striking Mr.
Rowell in the leg and pinning him in the
fork of the tree.
Don immediately began climbing up
to the man, while Alicia quickly retrieved
another rope and bucket belt, and Jake
started to cut the limb up. Mr. Rowell
passed out soon after Don reached him.
Alicia set the rope in a crotch while
Don placed the bucket belt around the
man. A
licia and Jake helped to lower Mr.
Rowell as Don guided him to the ground.
Being a trained First Responder in a local
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
25
Merit
Awards
fire department, Don accompanied Mr.
Rowell as his wife drove to the hospital.
The entire Rowell family thanked Don
and the crew for their unselfish act of
kindness. We do, too!
Ricardo Gomez and Operator Charles
Wright stayed at the top to rig the
ropes and gear necessary to pull the
stretcher to the top of the falls. All of the
crew members took turns carrying the
stretcher back up to the road where Mr.
Chamblee was taken by helicopter to the
hospital. Thanks to all of them for being
well equipped, trained and most of all,
willing to help!
Injured Hiker Rescue
It was late in the day on May 12 when
Forepersons Clint Bell and Steve Davis
and crews were approached by members
of the Munford, A
labama Volunteer Fire
Dept. who asked for help in moving an
injured hiker about a mile away on the
Salt Creek Falls Trail in the Talladega
National Forest.
The hiker, Aaron Chamblee, had
slipped while crossing the creek and
broke his ankle. The firemen needed
ropes and saddles in order to bring him
back up a steep incline. Clint, Steve and
Apprentice Arron Wetlesen went with
the paramedics to move the hiker up
the creek to the falls area. Trimmer
Manager Wendell Smitherman (far L) was pleased to present Silver Merit Awards to his employees
(L to R) Apprentice Arron Wetlesen,Trimmer Ricardo Gomez, Foreperson Clint Bell, Equipment
Operator Charles Wright, Foreperson Steve Davis and General Foreperson John Reeves who
used their skills, equipment and training to help rescue a hiker who had fallen near a waterfall in Salt
Creek in Talladega National Forest, Alabama. The picture at right was taken by Bob Crisp of the
“The Daily Home” newspaper.
Here’s to Your Health
by Jenn Devine, Editorial Assistant
I
t’s 10:00 on a Wednesday morning
and the regular crowd shuffles in.
There’s a woman, standing next to
me, debating chips or cookies for the win.
Is this a scenario you often experience
when stopping into a convenience store
during a quick break in the field or
heading to the lunchroom for a quick
snack? It’s time to snap out of these old
routines and start new, healthier lifestyles!
Did you know that people who sit
during their jobs for at least six hours are
twice as likely to become overweight?
Sitting includes driving a vehicle as well as
working at a desk. The following tips were
designed to help employees with “sitting
jobs” stay fit during the work day.
The first thing you need to do is get
moving! Make it a rule to get out of your
chair or vehicle, once an hour, even if it is
26
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
simply to stand up while taking a phone
call. Instead of e-mailing a co-worker,
deliver the message in person. Take
the stairs, even if there’s an elevator in
the building.
Don’t have time for the gym? T
here
are plenty of activities to help keep you
fit during the day. T
ake a 15 minute walk
to get your heart rate going. Pretend you
are the next Rockette and do leg lifts in
your chair. Lift your leg parallel to the
floor, raise it as high as you can, hold it
for ten seconds and lower to the floor.
Want six-pack abs, and not the kind you
get from a six-pack of Budweiser? Sit with
your knees together and stomach tight,
hold the seat arms for support, lift your
knees to your chest, hold for ten seconds
and release.
Finally, watch what you take in.Yes, that
Snickers really would be satisfying, but
only for a short while. Once the sugar
rush wears off, you will actually feel more
drained of energy. T
ry packing snacks
each day, such as fat-free popcorn, fruits
and nuts. Supermarkets now offer a wide
range of 100-calorie snacks guaranteed to
curb your salty or sweet craving.
Following these helpful tips can help
reduce your risk for high blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, obesity and lack of
stamina. So do your body good and get
started today!
N
E
W
product
R e vi e w
Recycled Fiberglass Chip box
Terex Utilities, a leader in “Green” utility equipment development,
is introducing a chip box for the tree care industry made of recycled
fiberglass. This special forestry body, developed in collaboration with
Astoria Industries, provides an alternative to heavier steel bodies to
save weight and reduce fuel consumption.
“This recycled fiberglass chip box is state-of-the-art with regard to
its look, strength-to-weight ratio and load handling. These features, plus
the fact that it is more environmentally friendly than steel bodies, make
it a sensible option for today’s tree care companies,” says Vice President
Tommy Nix of Terex Utilities. “The chip box is built to complement
our standard forestry packages offered by Terex and our distributors,
including our partner, Forestry Equipment of Virginia.”
By using a chip box that weighs 1,400 lbs. less than a comparable
steel body, users will be able to mount the unit on a non-CDL chassis
(25,999 lb. gross vehicle weight rating) and carry the same volume of
chips as a standard 33,000 lb. gvwr chassis. This provides cost savings
on the chassis, while increasing productivity. Also, by utilizing
corrosion-resistant aluminum flooring along with recycled fiberglass,
there is decreased need for periodic repair and re-painting. The
recycled fiberglass body carries a limited 5-year warranty.
For more information, please e-mail [email protected].
Lightweight, strong, recycled fiberglass chip box by
www.terex.com
LightWeight, Lower emission Chippers
Prompted by recent regulation by the California Air Resource
Board (CARB), Altec Environmental Products was tasked by
Asplundh Fleet Services Manager Steve Toeller in November 2008 to
provide chippers that would operate with an engine of less than 50
horsepower (hp).
Observations and feedback from the field allowed us to redesign
both the DC 912 (9'' disc chipper) and the time-proven WC 126 (a
self-feed drum chipper similar to the Whisper Chipper) to perform
efficiently with a Kubota 49.5 horsepower diesel.
49.5 hp WC 126a drum chipper by
These two new chippers were tested in April by Asplundh crews
on the property of San Diego Gas & Electric in the Dave Stall Region
in California. The following pre-design goals have now been met.
• Two chippers that are CARB registration exempt for engine
emissions and have reduced fuel consumption by at least 40% when
compared to most engines in the Asplundh fleet.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
27
N
E
W
product
R e vi e w
• A productive self-feed drum chipper that recovers quickly and
handles the brush requirements of the standard Whisper Chipper,
which is usually equipped with a 125 hp gas engine, a 73 hp gas
engine or an 88 hp diesel.
• A productive disc chipper that is capable of chipping up to 9''
diameter trees or limbs. It has a new feed system (DC 912A) that
is ideal for brush and palm fronds. The feed rate of this system is
optimized for material 6'' or less to achieve productivity closer to
self-feed drum rates. Its Electronic Feed Control (EFC) automatically
stops and advances the material if the system is fed larger limbs.
This automation not only provides a quick standard feed rate, it also
allows operators to continue feeding without having to monitor the
control bar. EFC also reduces the potential for chute clogging.
The new CARB exempt DC 912a disc chipper by
• Both units have jack mounting points to allow for easy
wheel changing.
For more information, please e-mail [email protected].
www.altec.com
Offering More Value than Ever
(continued from page 5)
in the Asplundh Fleet Services
Department in Willow Grove and
Paul Sykes and his staff at the Parts
Distribution Center in Lynchburg,Virginia
to launch the PM kit program. Dan just
became the Asplundh dealerships’ new
general manager after four years as its
service director. Their joint effort shows
that teamwork and an outstanding service
attitude can truly benefit field operations.
The Asplundh dealerships are also
offering a mobile preventive maintenance
service within a 300-mile radius of the
dealerships.While this service is not
available throughout the country, there are
an estimated 3,000 trucks that could be
serviced in this way. A pilot program in the
Tim Manners Region in Pennsylvania was
just successfully completed and a roll-out to
other regions is expected over the summer.
28
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
In June, a mobile maintenance
crew from Asplundh’s dealership
in Manahawkin, New Jersey came
well-equipped and stocked to
tackle oil and filter replacements
for 11 Tim Manners Region
lift trucks and chippers in
Abbottstown, Pennsylvania.
GMC Certified TruckTechnicians David
Williams (left) and Dave Swainger (right)
from the Asplundh dealership in New Jersey
arrived in Abbottstown on a Friday morning. By
working together as a team and in an orderly
fashion, they had completed all the preventive
maintenance by Saturday afternoon and the
trucks were ready for work on Monday.
ARBOR DAY ACTION
Planting instead of pruning
W
hile Asplundh crews
spend all year pruning and
removing trees, most of
them enjoy the opportunity to plant some
for a change. And to plant a tree with a
child is a great way to show the importance
of caring for our environment and investing
in our future. Unfortunately, Arbor Day
only comes once a year!
As fifth graders from the
Eastern Pulaski Elementary
School watched intently, Crew
Member Dan Sutton, Sr. and
Foreperson Matt Parsley of
the Kelly Runkle Region carefully
removed the root ball’s covering
on an ‘Autumn Blaze’ maple tree
donated by Asplundh. General
Foreperson Paul Thomas
supported the trunk until they
were ready to move the tree into
its properly prepared hole.
National Arbor Day was founded by
J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872 and
is celebrated on the last Friday in April.
Many states have their own Arbor Day
to coincide with the best time of year to
plant a tree, ranging from January to May
according to the climate.
The National Arbor Day Foundation
(NADF) is the organization that honors
utilities and communities that promote tree
planting and proper tree care. Many of the
utilities for whom Asplundh works have
earned the Tree Line USA award.
On this page we have two examples
of the many Arbor Day celebrations that
Asplundh, its employees and its customers
participate in every year. You’ll notice the
school theme, as this is usually where tree
planting is the most effective and needed.
Most schoolyards are in need of trees and
they usually don’t have much of a budget
for landscaping.
An Arbor Day event at a school is
a great opportunity for Asplundh and
its utility cohorts to share the joy (and
expense) of planting trees with children.
Supervisor Jason Lietz, Forestry Operations
for Northern Indiana Public Service Co.
recently wrote,“Asplundh donated the
tree and NIPSCO covered the planting
expenses. Many thanks to Asplundh and
our local Asplundh ROW vegetation
management personnel for their work
in helping to coordinate with the school,
calling in the locates and assisting with
the planting. Everything went off without
a hitch, the weather was beautiful and the
kids asked some great questions about tree
biology and tree care.We really appreciate
Asplundh’s involvement in the communities
we serve.” It was our pleasure, to be sure!
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO),
aT
ree Line USA utility, partnered with
Asplundh on the Arbor Day celebration at
Eastern Pulaski Elementary School. One of
the fifth grade participants, Jessica Crandall,
was the Northern Region Winner of the
2009 Arbor Day Poster Contest.
General Foreperson Johnny
Wilson (far L) of the Jim
Winemiller Region came to
Skyview School in Mountain
Grove, Missouri to help the
students and staff celebrate
Arbor Day. He brought a
truckload of Dwarf Spruce trees
for the students of this special
needs school to plant, courtesy
of Asplundh.
As some of the students eagerly chose their trees,
Johnny and his wife Kelly (pictured above, fourth
from R) helped hand out the potted trees to the
others. Kelly, who is a teacher’s aide at the Skyview
School, reported that this was the first time that an
Arbor Day celebration took place at the school and
both the students and parents were thrilled with
the trees. In addition to a fun event, they learned
about tree planting and caring for their environment.
The Asplundh TREE
Spring/Summer 2009
29
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
BELLMAWR, NJ
PERMIT NO. 48
International Headquarters
708 Blair Mill Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090
www.asplundh.com
check out The All-New
a s p l u n d h . com
S
o, you may have noticed that
The Asplundh TREE magazine
has a new look. But did you
notice that the Asplundh web site has
also been updated with many new
features and benefits?
Although a few functions
are still in development,
we invite you to test drive
the all-new Asplundh
web site which was
launched in early July.
Please send your feedback,
suggestions and ideas to
[email protected] or
use the new Suggestion Box
under Contact Us.
The new site has a livelier home
page that presents a rotating variety
of messages and images of Asplundh’s
capabilities and initiatives, all of which tie
in with the company’s new slogan:
A Better Way
Safety • Efficiency • Innovation
The navigation bar is clean, simple and
organized, especially for visitors that are
not familiar with our company and its
services.You’ll notice that “Safety First”
is not only our company vision, it’s our
first button! For those who don’t want to
explore the drop down menus and just
want to know where the information is
fast, a Search function has been created.
While www.asplundh.com is designed
to help Asplundh market its services,
the new web site also offers great
information for employees/potential
employees and property owners who
encounter our crews everyday. The
yellow buttons just below the main
image area take you directly to frequently
asked questions (FAQs) and their
answers.You can also find generic FAQs
in the About Us category. To assist those
who want to call or e-mail the nearest
Asplundh management office, a zip
code based locator is now part of the
Contact Us button.
Some areas are still under construction.
For instance, the Specialized Equipment
gallery within the Services category is
currently in development and should be
available soon. There will be many more
changes to come as content will always
need to be refreshed.
Kristin Wild and Ronnie Gauker of the
Corporate Communications Department
in Willow Grove coordinated the web
site’s redesign with a good deal of help,
content, advice and expertise from
many people. A vast amount of graphic
design and programming came from Dan
Kinter and Alban Bailly of Kintercom
with assistance and advice from the IT
Department’s Chief Information Officer
George Gunter, Manager, Technical
Services Pat Foley and Sr. System Engineer
Paul Wiley. Sharon Liggio, assistant to the
President, also contributed many ideas
and conducted informal research.
We invite you to explore the new
www.asplundh.com and provide your
feedback to [email protected] or use the
new Suggestion Box under Contact Us.

THE ASPLUNDH TREE

Transcription

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